Friday, March 26, 2021

These 31 States Are Expanding Covid-19 Vaccine Eligibility

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States are racing to vaccinate as many people as possible as the United States’ coronavirus infection curve continues its plateau for a third week at more than 55,000 new cases per day, a level that health experts warn could rapidly escalate into a new wave.

a small child in a car: A drive-through inoculation site in Cleveland, Miss., last week.© Rory Doyle for The New York Times A drive-through inoculation site in Cleveland, Miss., last week.

Kansas, Minnesota and South Carolina announced on Friday that they would open vaccine eligibility to residents 16 years and older next week. But Minnesota’s health department said there would not be enough vaccines on Tuesday to meet the immediate demand. The state is expecting more doses delivered in the coming weeks.

New Jersey, which has seen a 25 percent increase in new cases, compared with the average two weeks earlier, also announced vaccine eligibility would expand beginning on April 5 for residents 55 and older. At that time, New Jersey also plans to open eligibility for those 16 years and older with developmental disabilities and residents who work in the higher education sector.

And Oregon announced plans to expand eligibility for certain residents, including front-line workers, beginning April 5. Gov. Kate Brown said April 5 is two weeks ahead of what the state had planned for this group of residents. She said this was possible “thanks to increasing supplies.”

State officials are able to broaden their eligible pools thanks to a steady increase in vaccine shipments. Federal officials say that Pfizer and Moderna, whose vaccines require two doses, are now together supplying about 24 million doses a week.

Jeffrey D. Zients, the White House’s chief pandemic adviser, told reporters during a White House virus briefing on Friday that he is expecting an end-of-the-month burst of supply from Johnson & Johnson, whose vaccine requires only one shot. The company has supplied a very limited number of doses so far but will deliver at least 11 million doses next week, he said.

Some 25 states are reporting persistently high case numbers, according to a New York Times database, and state officials have been easing restrictions.

The number of deaths continue to trend downward, averaging about 1,000 a day, down from more than 2,000 each day a month ago. But eight states are seeing rising deaths: Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Utah and West Virginia.

“It’s clear, there is a case for optimism, but there is not a case for relaxation,” Mr. Zients said.

At least 34 states have pledged to make vaccines universally available to their adult populations by mid-April, and at least 14 more have announced plans to expand eligibility on or before May 1, a goal set by Mr. Biden. Alaska, Mississippi, Utah and West Virginia have already made all adults eligible to receive shots, and some local jurisdictions have also begun vaccinating all adults.

California will open up vaccine eligibility on Thursday to any resident 50 or older and will expand that to residents 16 or older on April 15, state officials said. Florida said that any state resident 40 or older would be eligible starting on Monday, and that the minimum age would drop to 18 on April 5.

In Connecticut, which is among the most-vaccinated states in the country, the governor said that all residents 16 and above would be eligible beginning on Thursday.

Kentucky plans to open vaccinations to those 40 and older starting on Monday.

Mr. Biden, who initially promised to have “100 million shots in the arms” of Americans by his 100th day in office, said on Thursday that he was doubling the target. As of Friday, more than 120 million shots have been administered since Jan. 20. And with an average of 2.6 million shots administered per day, and more supply increases expected next month, the White House is fully expected to meet the new target, Mr. Zients said on Friday.

Vaccine hesitancy could slow progress, cautioned Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health. The goal of reaching a point in the country when enough people have had the virus or have been vaccinated could be jeopardized by people who “will basically say, ‘No, not for me,’” he said Thursday on Fox News.

“That could basically cause this pandemic to go on much longer than it needs to,” he said.

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