Michigan, Alaska to give COVID vaccines to all adults well ahead of Biden’s May 1 engagement

Michigan and Alaska are among a growing number of states to announce plans to expand access to coronavirus vaccines well ahead of President Joe Biden’s deadline to provide vaccines to all American adults d ‘here May 1st.

Alaska on Tuesday became the first state to announce that anyone over the age of 16 in the state is now eligible to receive the vaccine.

“We want to get our economy back on its feet. We want to get our society back on track,” Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy said Tuesday. “We want to put this virus behind us – as much as possible, as soon as possible.”

Alaska has so far fully vaccinated 16% of its population, which is the highest rate in the country, The New York Times reported.

In his Tuesday announcement, Dunleavy encouraged all “Alaskans who are considering” getting vaccinated to do so, adding that the state’s deployment “now gives us the ability in Alaska to far outpace other states,” the Times reported.

Michigan joined the state on Friday in announcing that all residents 16 and older will be eligible to receive a vaccine by April 5.

People aged 16 to 49 with certain medical conditions or disabilities will be eligible starting March 22. Then, on March 24, a mass vaccination site will open at Ford Field in Detroit to administer an additional 6,000 doses per day over the course of two months. The press reported.

“The safe COVID-19 vaccine is the most effective way to protect yourself, your family and others from the virus,” Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. “It will help the country get back to normal and help the economy.”

Along with Michigan and Alaska, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on Wednesday that the state would allow anyone aged 18 and over to get vaccinated starting April 1.

Ten days later, the state will officially lift its mask mandate, and hopes to have 1.5 million doses of the vaccine administered by then.

Additionally, officials in Minnesota and Florida have suggested that adults in those states can receive the vaccine at some point in April, although they have yet to come up with a specific plan to do so. Forbes reported.

The statewide announcements come as Biden pledged Thursday to open access to vaccines to all U.S. adults by May 1.

In his first public address since his inauguration 50 days ago, Biden said he had ordered states, tribes and territories to make all adults eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine by that date. He added that his hope is to bring the nation closer to “normal” by July 4.

“We’re going to go from the million shots per day that I promised in December, before I was sworn in, to beat our current rate of 2 million shots per day, ahead of the rest of the world,” Biden said on March 11. .

“I need you to get the vaccine when it is your turn,” he added, “and when you can find an opportunity, also help your family, your friends, your neighbors to get the vaccine.”

So far, 19% of the US population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 10% have been fully immunized. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the country has administered 98 million doses of the vaccine.

Newsweek contacted the governors of Michigan and Alaska, as well as the White House for further comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.