U.S. States Throw Open Vaccine Eligibility Before May 1 Goal

Rules loosen as millions of doses begin flowing from stockpile
Biden’s ambitious-sounding objectives seem destined to be met

WATCH: Biden says the U.S. will clinch his goal of administering 100 million shots in the first 100 days of his presidency.Source: Bloomberg

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By Jill R Shah

March 18, 2021 at 11:17 PM UTC

Updated on

March 19, 2021 at 8:34 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

More than a dozen U.S. states are expanding access to Covid vaccinations earlier than planned for every adult, accelerating the biggest such campaign in the country’s history and making long strides toward President Joe Biden’s May 1 deadline for eligibility.

Biden set the timeline last week, and officials since have announced strategies to beat his deadline in Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Nevada, North Dakota, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Rhode Island and Utah. Others plan to move ahead with certain groups earlier than expected, such as Wisconsin, which will make more than a million people with underlying conditions eligible next week. On Friday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that anyone 50 and older can get a shot next week.