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Covid Vaccine Update: What Seniors Need To Know

Who Gets Covid Vaccine First?

All citizens, especially seniors, are still living through some very dark days thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic. Now that a vaccine is ready and available, though, how will it be distributed? If you are searching for “who gets covid vaccine first” or “covid vaccine update,” then this post will provide you with the CDC’s recommendations for a vaccine rollout.

CDC Vaccine Recommendations

Due to supply, the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine is limited at first. The CDC has provided recommendations to federal, state and local governments about which citizens should receive priority for vaccinations. These recommendations from the CDC are based on the thoughts of Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which is an independent panel of experts regarding medical and public health matters.

While the CDC makes recommendations for vaccine priority, each state has its own plan for the ongoing rollout. It’s up to each state to prioritize who gets the vaccine first. The CDC urges all interested parties to contact their local health department for more information on vaccine distribution.

COVID Vaccine Schedule

CDC recommendations were made with the primary goals of saving lives and protecting frontline workers. These initial groups were prioritized by the CDC back in late December, 2020:

Phase 1A:

  • Healthcare personnel and long-term care facility residents.

Phase 1B:

  • Essential frontline workers. These include police officers, fire fighters, educational workers, food and agricultural workers, etc.
  • People aged 75+. People of this age are at a higher risk of hospitalization, illness and death as a result of COVID-19.

Phase 1C:

  • Citizens between the ages of 65-74.
  • Citizens between the ages of 16-64 with underlying medical conditions.
  • Other essential workers, such as transportation workers, food service, public safety, public health workers, etc.

The CDC announced vaccine recommendations will expand as time goes on.

Read more about the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendations right here.

COVID Vaccine Tracker

According to the CDC, more than 13 million Americans had received a vaccination as of January 19, 2021. Of those people, over two million have received the second dose of the vaccination. Close to two million doses have been administered in long-term care facilities. A total of more than 31 million doses have been distributed throughout the United States.

Check out a map of COVID vaccine information right here.

COVID Vaccines By State

As mentioned above, each state has rolled out a specific plan for its area in regards to the distribution of the COVID vaccine. Every state was granted an amount of the vaccine in proportion to its population. As of January 15, 2021, California had received the most doses of the vaccine, with more than three million in stock. Florida, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Georgia are the only other states at this moment to receive more than one million doses. California and Texas are the only two states to have surpassed one million shots given so far.

All data above according to the NY Times.

Covid-19 Vaccine

COVID Vaccine Update In Arizona

According to Azdhs.gov, Arizona counties have unveiled a prioritized phase approach, similar to the CDC’s recommendations. In order to schedule an appointment for vaccination, you must be a member of the current phase and provide appropriate identification after scheduling. Here’s a look at the phase breakdown of vaccine distribution in Arizona:

Phase 1A:

  • Healthcare workers and healthcare support occupations.
  • Long-term care facility residents and staff.
  • Emergency medical service workers.

Prioritized Phase 1B:

  • Childcare and education workers.
  • Adults aged 65 and older.
  • Protective services occupations.
  • Anyone remaining from phase 1A.

Phase 1B:

  • Essential services and critical industry workers.
  • Adults with high-risk conditions in congregate settings.
  • Anyone remaining from the previous phases.

Phase 1C:

  • Adults of any age with high-risk medical conditions.
  • Adults living in congregate settings.
  • Anyone remaining from phases 1A and 1B.

Phase 2:

  • Any additional high-risk and/or critical populations.
  • General public.
  • Anyone remaining from phase 1.

Phase 3:

  • General public.
  • Anyone remaining from phase 1 and phase 2 populations.

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