Michigan will expand vaccine eligibility to everybody 50 and older as of March 22, and to everybody 16 and older as of April 5, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stated on Friday. The announcement got here a day after President Biden’s prime-time address, through which he directed states to develop eligibility to all adults by Could 1.
“Almost 1 million Michiganders of all races have already been safely vaccinated,” Ms. Whitmer, a Democrat, stated in an announcement. “I urge all eligible Michiganders to get one of many three Covid-19 vaccines.”
Presently, everybody in Michigan 65 and older is eligible for vaccination, as are folks over 50 with well being circumstances that might improve their danger of significant problems from Covid-19, together with weight problems, hypertension or diabetes. On March 22, all adults with such well being circumstances may even be eligible.
In response to a New York Times database, 19 % of Michiganders have obtained no less than one dose of vaccine and 11 % have been absolutely vaccinated, placing the state’s tempo roughly on the U.S. common.
Earlier this week, Alaska became the first state to open eligibility to everybody 16 or older, and Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah introduced that each one adults can be eligible for the vaccine there on April 1.
Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado stated on Friday that he anticipated all adults to be eligible in his state by mid-April, although he didn’t set a selected date.
The director of Arizona’s Division of Well being Providers, Dr. Cara Christ, informed reporters on Friday that the state deliberate to make vaccines eligible to anybody 16 and older by Could.
A variety of different states, together with Texas and New York, have announced expansions of eligibility to new classes this week.
In Connecticut, the state had already deliberate to permit folks 16 and older to get a vaccination appointment beginning on Could 3.