Two months after the first COVID-19 outbreaks occurred, the race to vaccinate older Americans is gaining traction, with more than a third of people aged 65 and over receiving their first dose in data-providing states.
The finding comes from an Associated Press analysis of information from 27 states where data is available. These states account for just over half of all first doses administered nationally.
“This is very good news. That’s a sign that we’re doing well, “said Ali Mokdad, a professor of health measurement science at the University of Washington in Seattle. The vaccine’s hesitation is rapidly waning as older Americans talk to their friends who have been vaccinated, he said. “He looks at people who know how to get the vaccine and see that it’s safe.”
The effort is uneven, with many other states lagging behind in vaccinating the high-risk population.
Mokdad added: “We can do better. I can’t wait for the day when everyone who wants the vaccine can get the vaccine. The system we have in place works. We must continue to push for more vaccine. ”
The proportion of vaccines given to those aged 65 and over varies. It is three-quarters of all first doses in Florida and more than two-thirds in North Carolina.
In Indiana, Alaska and West Virginia, nearly half of the population aged 65 and over received the first dose. In North Carolina, Louisiana, Colorado, Florida and Utah, about a third of this population received the first dose.
Oregon, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Nebraska and Maryland are at the bottom, with 20% or less of the population aged 65 and older. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s administration and a bipartisan group of state lawmakers said Wednesday they will create a vaccine working group that will brainstorm faster ways to administer COVID-19 photos.
As of Wednesday, the federal government had distributed 46.4 million doses of vaccine to states and other jurisdictions, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To date, nearly 34 million people, or 10% of the US population, have received at least one dose of vaccine. Nearly 10.5 million people, or 3% of the population, received both doses.
President Joe Biden, who is working to ease supply bottlenecks, said Thursday that the United States will have enough supplies of the two-dose vaccine by the end of the summer to inoculate 300 million Americans. He said the United States had secured contractual commitments from Moderna and Pfizer to deliver the 600 million doses by the end of July – more than a month earlier than originally anticipated.
Older Americans have suffered heavy deaths and hospitalizations from the virus, which has claimed more than 473,000 lives. in the US About 80% of people who died from COVID were adults 65 and older.
There is not yet enough data to look at whether vaccination reduces infections and deaths in this age group, Mokdad said. But his research center, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, plans to look into this in the coming weeks.
Experts recommend that people continue to wear masks and practice social distancing even after receiving COVID-19 photos. Although recipients are expected to achieve a certain level of protection within a few weeks of the first shot, full protection may not occur until a few weeks after the second shot. It is unclear whether vaccinated people can continue to spread the virus.
However, vaccines have already had a real impact on the lives of older Americans.
Stephanie LaBumbard, 80, spent most of last year alone and separated from her family at home in Cadillac, Michigan. He now feels an increase in positivity after receiving the second dose of vaccine.
“I’m not free at home yet, but I feel much better,” LaBumbard said. She has not yet changed her prudent behavior, but she intends to do so and she could not be happier. Being able to go out with friends again seems “just an absolute miracle.”
“It’s so wonderful to realize we can get back to normal or something.”
She is especially happy that she can personally worship at her church, where she will return on Sunday after taking part in Zoom for months. He had to give up volunteering at a hospital and have coffee and dinner with friends, but he especially missed his family.
“I was alone on Thanksgiving. I was with only one of my sons for Christmas. Especially when you reach my age … I feel young, but you don’t know, this could be my last Christmas, ”she said, adding that she is happy with the distribution of the vaccine in Michigan. “I think they did a fantastic job here. They had everything so well organized. ”
It’s a different story in Warren County, North Carolina, where Leticia Bonilla was frustrated by the inability to have a vaccine meeting locally and would rather not stand in line at a mass vaccine clinic in another county. .
The 66-year-old retired teacher said that the nurse at her doctor’s office offered to help her get on a waiting list, but she refused because she felt too insecure.
“I said, ‘Well, how long is the list?’ She said, “I don’t know. We don’t have vaccines yet. And I said, “Well, why would I put my name there?” … And I just hung up, Bonilla said.
The vaccine distribution process in North Carolina is conducted through a decentralized system that allows county health departments and vaccine providers to develop their own processes for establishing vaccine schedules.
Lynn Bender and her husband, Mark Bender, both 70, received their second dose of vaccine two weeks ago. The couple is from Monroe Township, New Jersey, but for about 10 weeks a year, they live in a retirement community in Coconut Creek, Florida, which Broward County used to launch the tests. They need to be a part of this and are happy to be surrounded by people who are also vaccinated.
“It’s great that at least when you feel safe you have someone to be safe with,” Lynn Bender said. “We’re at the point now that we can socialize with someone, play cards or mahjong.”
They especially enjoyed attending art and craft fairs and supporting artists and craftsmen across the country throughout the year, which they look forward to doing when they can let their guard down.
“We really haven’t changed much, everyone is still cautious,” she said. “But, as one of my friends says, knowing you’re not going to die makes you feel better.”
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Associated Press writers Kelli Kennedy of Miami and Andrew Dalton of Los Angeles contributed to this report.