Some States Put Residents 65+ in Line for COVID Vaccines
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In most states, regardless of what age is set for the next group to be vaccinated, older Americans are likely going to have to wait a bit longer to get either the or the . That’s because the vaccine rollout has been slower than predicted and many health care workers and residents and staff of nursing homes, first in line for vaccines as members of Phase 1a, have yet to get inoculated. Jennifer Kates, a senior vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation, says it was clear from the ACIP meeting that this was the toughest decision it has had to make. “It’s unfortunate that rationing in any way was having to happen,” she says. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > Kaiser’s Kates isn’t surprised that some states are going their own way.
“There is no perfect or right framework here,” she says. “These are difficult decisions and states have different populations, so states may want to make decisions that reflect who is living in their state.” That was the rationale, says Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in setting age 65 as the cutoff for the next group of residents of his state to be vaccinated. DeSantis said at a news conference Monday that he didn’t believe the CDC recommendation is “the best approach for our state. We believe we’ve got to focus on senior citizens.
“We don’t want a situation where someone is a 20-year-old, working at a grocery store — which is an honorable thing and great — but that person gets priority over a 74-year-old or a 73-year-old grandmother.” As vaccinations were opened up to the 65-plus, long lines of cars emerged at hospitals across the state, some people lining up the night before they hoped to get the vaccine. The situation varies by county because local health officials are managing the vaccine process. DeSantis said he plans to convert coronavirus testing sites into vaccine centers and said hospitals that do not administer vaccines fast enough will see their doses taken away. Other states have also decided to deviate from the CDC recommendations. For example, Alaska, Delaware, Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas have all announced they will begin vaccinating 65-plus residents next. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. More on health AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS
Some States Put Residents 65 and Older Next in Line for COVID Vaccines
Several governors deviate from federal guidelines lower age threshold
People wait in a line on New Year's Eve to receive a COVID-19 vaccination in Oviedo, Florida. SOPA Images/Getty Images You’re 67 and anxious to get vaccinated against . When will you be able to get your shot? That depends on where you live. If you are 65 or older and live in one of an increasing number of states — from Florida to Texas to Delaware to Ohio — you are now eligible to be . But a majority of states either have decided to follow the federal recommendation that people 75 and older be next to get their shots or have not yet announced an age threshold. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. The weekend before Christmas, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccines, recommended that the next group to be vaccinated, dubbed Phase 1b, be people age 75 and older and frontline essential workers. After those Americans, ACIP suggested, Phase 1c would consist of people over age 65, those with high-risk medical conditions and other essential workers. “The reason age 75 was chosen was totally practical,” says William Schaffner, epidemiologist and professor of preventive medicine and health policy at Vanderbilt University and a nonvoting ACIP member. “Everybody knew we didn’t have enough vaccine for everybody aged 65 and older.”Vaccine Priority Groups
Phase 1a (24 million people): • Health care personnel • Long-term care facility residents Phase 1b (49 million people): • Frontline essential workers • People 75 and older Phase 1c (129 million people): • People ages 65-74 • People ages 16-64 with high-risk conditions • Other essential workers Phase 2: • People 16 and older not in Phase 1 Source: CDC But Henry Bernstein, a physician at Northwell Health’s Cohen Children’s Medical Center on Long Island, New York, and the only ACIP member to vote against the group’s recommendation, says there shouldn’t be a distinction between people over age 75 and those over age 65 when it comes to prioritizing vaccine delivery. “There’s no question that people 75 and older have higher morbidity and mortality,” Bernstein says, “but I felt that 65- to 74-year-olds were notably similar. Inclusion of the 65-74-year-old group in Phase 1b made more sense to me. Plus, implementation of this unprecedented, complex national vaccine program would be simplified by doing so.”In most states, regardless of what age is set for the next group to be vaccinated, older Americans are likely going to have to wait a bit longer to get either the or the . That’s because the vaccine rollout has been slower than predicted and many health care workers and residents and staff of nursing homes, first in line for vaccines as members of Phase 1a, have yet to get inoculated. Jennifer Kates, a senior vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation, says it was clear from the ACIP meeting that this was the toughest decision it has had to make. “It’s unfortunate that rationing in any way was having to happen,” she says. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > Kaiser’s Kates isn’t surprised that some states are going their own way.
“There is no perfect or right framework here,” she says. “These are difficult decisions and states have different populations, so states may want to make decisions that reflect who is living in their state.” That was the rationale, says Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in setting age 65 as the cutoff for the next group of residents of his state to be vaccinated. DeSantis said at a news conference Monday that he didn’t believe the CDC recommendation is “the best approach for our state. We believe we’ve got to focus on senior citizens.
“We don’t want a situation where someone is a 20-year-old, working at a grocery store — which is an honorable thing and great — but that person gets priority over a 74-year-old or a 73-year-old grandmother.” As vaccinations were opened up to the 65-plus, long lines of cars emerged at hospitals across the state, some people lining up the night before they hoped to get the vaccine. The situation varies by county because local health officials are managing the vaccine process. DeSantis said he plans to convert coronavirus testing sites into vaccine centers and said hospitals that do not administer vaccines fast enough will see their doses taken away. Other states have also decided to deviate from the CDC recommendations. For example, Alaska, Delaware, Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas have all announced they will begin vaccinating 65-plus residents next. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. More on health AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS