Alaska Expands COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility to Those 55 and Over, Essential Workers, and High-Risk Populations

Alaska on Wednesday announced a major expansion of its list of people eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. It now includes Alaskans 55 and over, as well as people over 16 who are essential workers, live in multigenerational homes, are considered potentially “at high risk” for serious illnesses, or live in a community where the houses do not have water and sewer systems.

The newly eligible group can now sign up for a vaccine appointment, health ministry officials said in a statement Wednesday morning.

“Although the vaccine supply remains limited, we are offering it to groups who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, who are at risk of serious illness or death or who work in essential jobs,” he said. The state’s chief medical officer, Dr Anne Zink, said in a statement.

The state expects 103,120 first doses this month of the vaccine from drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna, which includes allocations for the Indian health service and an additional allocation for February, officials said.

Additionally, Alaska is expected to receive 8,900 doses of the newly licensed Johnson & Johnson vaccine – given as a single injection – over the next two weeks, officials said.

“Expanding vaccine eligibility to reach more people is important for protecting Alaskans and for securing the reopening of Alaska and the recovery and prosperity of our economy,” Governor Mike Dunleavy said in the statement. .

People already eligible for a vaccine include most healthcare workers, people aged 65 and over, people living and working in communities, some pandemic responders, and people aged 50 and over who have a high-risk health problem or are in essential employment.

Health officials said in the statement that the new group of eligible Alaskans includes “ anyone who has a medical condition that places a person at ‘high risk’ or ‘could be at high risk’ of serious illness due to COVID-19, according to the CDC, or that is considered high risk by a person’s medical provider. “

Based on lists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pregnant women, smokers, people diagnosed with cancer, people with moderate to severe asthma, obese and overweight people, and those with diabetes type 1 or type 2 – among a range of other conditions – are now eligible for the vaccine.

A person’s provider may also recommend that someone get the vaccine, Zink told reporters on Wednesday, which means someone with a substance use disorder or developmental disability who could put her at risk for COVID-19 infection may be eligible.

Essential workers over 16 are defined by an extensive list of the Federal Agency for Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security and are included in the new eligibility group. This means not only frontline workers, but “all” essential workers, Zink said.

The federal list of essential workers is extensive and includes workers in law enforcement, food service, agriculture, manufacturing, finance, repair and maintenance, transportation and communications, as well as workers who provide personal and household goods. This list also extends to clergy, weather forecasters, and those working within the justice system, among others.

Newly eligible people are people living in multigenerational households, including households of three or more generations or “skipped generations,” such as a grandchild living with an elder, officials said in the statement.

Unserved communities are defined as places where many homes do not have water and sewage systems, health officials said.

In addition, in Anchorage, Alaskans 40 and over can now get vaccinated through the Southcentral Foundation, the health care organization said on Monday. Southcentral Foundation is an Alaskan native-owned healthcare organization, which means it receives its allowance from the Indian Health Service and can decide vaccine eligibility regardless of state levels.

Officials urged those eligible to check appointments regularly, as more will be added.