Washington to expand Covid vaccine eligibility to everyone 16 and older by May 1
All Washingtonians 16 and older will be eligible to get Covid-19 vaccinations starting May 1, the Washington State Department of Health said Wednesday.
The state is currently in Phase 1B tier 2 of its vaccine rollout, which widened the eligibility pool to include people such as teachers and certain high-risk critical workers. Eligibility is opening up to restaurant workers and workers in congregate settings at the end of the month, Gov. Jay Inslee said last week.
The latest move comes in response to a recent directive from President Joe Biden to make all Americans eligible for the vaccines by May 1. State Department of Health spokesperson Shelby Anderson told the Business Journal on Wednesday that the state would comply with the president’s order. Previously the state had not confirmed if it would follow Biden's timeline.
There are currently 2.8 million Washingtonians eligible for the vaccine, according to the health department, with another 1.5 million becoming eligible at the end of the month. Widening eligibility to everyone 16 and older will allow another 1.2 million people to get vaccinated, according to the Seattle Times.
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2021/03/24/washington-vaccine-eligibility-widening.html