Which Americans can get the Covid-19 vaccine now?Complete guidance

Faced with a relentless surge in cases of coronavirus, the US government issued a recommendation this week as to which people in the country should be vaccinated first. Here are answers to some common questions.

Who is eligible for vaccination according to federal guidance?

On Tuesday, Health Minister Alex M. Hazard II, Prompted to all states To open eligibility to anyone over the age of 65 and to adults of all ages who are at high risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from Covid-19.

Overall, it has more than 150 million people, almost half of the population. They are now joining millions of previously qualified healthcare professionals and long-term care facility residents.

Hazard did not specify which conditions would qualify someone for vaccination now. Perhaps it’s up to the governor to decide, as well as the question of which document is needed. However, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention List of particularly high-risk conditions, Includes cancer, diabetes and obesity.

How do qualifications vary from state to state, and why?

Although the CDC was issued Recommendations Last month, states should vaccinate first while vaccine supply is still relatively low, priorities are non-binding, and states Unique grouping..

The federal government cannot require the state to change its prioritization plans that it has already announced, but new pressure from Mr. Hazard and heightened public impatience as viral deaths continue to reach new peaks. , Can upset many people.

In figuring out priority groups, state officials said who was most likely to die if infected with Covid-19 (colored, elderly, people with underlying illness, etc.) and a complete resumption of the economy. We considered criteria such as important occupations to support. .. Demographics for each state also played a role.

I am qualified now. How do I sign up?

This also depends on the state or county you live in.

Some local public health departments have portals where people can book. Others hold mass vaccination events to inoculate people on a first-come, first-served basis.

In general, clinics and pharmacies have asked patients and customers not to call for vaccine reservations yet, but to wait for contact instead.

Most pharmacies do not yet offer vaccines, but CVS, Walgreens, and many other chain pharmacies, including grocery stores and large stores, will soon begin offering them through partnerships with the federal government.

The federal government says older people and people with underlying illnesses should be vaccinated next, but what about key workers who need to face others at work? Are they also qualified now?

In some states it is.

Healthcare workers in all states were first provided with the vaccine. And before Mr. Azar’s instructions this week, some states have already identified specific categories of “frontline” essential workers such as police officers, firefighters, teachers, childcare workers, and public transport employees. Had started vaccination against.

However, other states that were planning to start providing vaccines to some key workers in the coming weeks could now be reprioritized based on Hazard’s new guidance. There is.

There is nothing to prevent the state from starting vaccination of the new priority group before it reaches everyone in the previous group, but supply is an important consideration.

How many times can the United States be vaccinated?

Pfizer and Moderna, who are approved for emergency use of the vaccine in the United States, together Promise to provide 400 million doses over the next 7 months.

Both vaccines need to be vaccinated twice, so 200 million of the approximately 260 million people currently eligible for vaccination are sufficient. Children under the age of 16 are not yet eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, and children under the age of 18 are not yet vaccinated against Moderna.

Johnson & Johnson, a single-dose vaccine candidate in late-stage clinical trials, has signed a contract with the US government to provide 12 million doses by the end of February and a total of 100 million doses by the end of June.But the company has Late To that production schedule.

How many people have been vaccinated so far?

Published data is at least a few days late, so it’s hard to know for sure. However, the CDC reported on Wednesday that about 10.3 million of the 29.4 million doses distributed nationwide had received the initial dose.

This includes approximately 1.1 million doses given to residents and staff of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.