If you’ve been waiting for Covid-19 vaccine eligibility and you live in Alaska, we’ve got good news for you. This week, the state became the first to open up vaccine access for anyone over the age of 16.
The new vaccination eligibility comes after a successful campaign to inoculate Alaska’s most vulnerable populations. According to the state, some regions, like Kodiak Island and the Petersburg Borough, have achieved over 90 percent vaccination rates among seniors.
As the state expands access, those over the age of 16 can receive the Pfizer vaccine and those over the age of 18 are eligible for the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines. So far, the state has received 288,000 vaccines and has vaccinated 170,993 people.
Alaska’s vaccine expansion is largely possible due to its low population, but it does offer an optimistic outlook for other states pursuing similar availability goals and gives insights into what a fully-vaccinated state population might look like in the near future.
