Alaska opens vaccines to all adults [Video]

• Alaska has expanded its COVID-19 vaccine eligibility requirements once more, now including all adults living or working in the state.
• Officials wanted to open as many vaccine appointments as possible to reach anyone who wanted to get vaccinated.
• The expanded vaccine eligibility was described by the governor as a “game-changer” that can also help the state rebuild its economy.

Alaska has dropped the eligibility requirements for COVID-19 vaccines, making it the first state to open vaccines to all adults.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced on Tuesday that anyone 16 or older who lives or works in the state will be able to get the vaccine.

The governor called the expanded vaccine eligibility a “game-changer” that can help the state rebuild its economy, especially during the upcoming summer tourist season.

Dunleavy explained that he respects the decision of anyone who refuses to get the vaccine, but shared that his own experience with COVID-19 had prompted him to want to get vaccinated afterward.

He described his bout with the disease as inconvenient. Despite not having severe symptoms, he said he did not want “to be laid up in the house again,” potentially spread the virus to others, or affect his family, which is why he chose to be vaccinated.

“I would ask that you give some due consideration,” he concluded.

Alaska’s chief medical officer, Dr. Anne Zink, said that there have been open vaccine appointments from residents who wanted to get a vaccine, so officials wanted to allow as many people as possible. She said that more vaccine appointments will be opened as more doses become available.

During a news conference with Dunleavy, Zink stated, “This does feel like a gigantic milestone in so many ways to get to the point where we can offer protection for anyone who wants it in the state.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker reported that Alaska is leading among the US states in the percentage of its population to have completed the vaccination process.

Just last week, the state expanded eligibility requirements to include those aged 55 to 64, essential workers aged 16 and older, those at potentially high risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms, members of multigenerational households, and communities with no or limited water and sewage systems.

The previous eligibility requirements only included health care workers, teachers, and those 65 and older.

Alaska has reported a total of 57,300 COVID-19 cases and 301 coronavirus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Source: FOX News