All U.S. adults now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine. Here's how to find a shot.
American adults in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are now eligible for the coronavirus vaccine as of Monday, meeting President Biden's goal of April 19 eligibility.
Mr. Biden set the April 19 goal earlier this month, although the vast majority of states had already expanded eligibility to all adults earlier than that. The U.S. is nearing Mr. Biden's updated goal of providing 200 million shots by his 100th day in office, despite the federal government's decision to pause the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after a small number of women who had received the shot developed a rare blood clot disorder. Dr. Anthony Fauci told CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that he expects a decision on whether to resume that particular vaccine by Friday.
- Perhaps the easiest resource to use to find a vaccine — and one the Centers for Disease Control points people toward — is VaccineFinder.org.
- Pharmacies in most states are distributing the vaccine. Walmart is administering the vaccine in thousands of locations. CVS is also administering the vaccine in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
"If you're 16 or over, it is your turn to get vaccinated, no matter where you live," Andy Slavitt, White House senior adviser for COVID-19 response said during a briefing Monday.
But while more than 50% of adults have received at least one shot, demand for the vaccine and the personnel to administer the shots is outpacing supply. But as more pharmacies come online and as Pfizer and Moderna vaccine production continues to ramp up, these challenges are subsiding.
And soon, vaccine hesitancy will be a bigger problem than supply. The Biden administration is trying to address vaccine hesitancy by working with faith leaders and leaders in other specific communities to try to reach hesitant Americans.
Slavitt urged Americans to reach out to their family and friends to see what they can to do help them get vaccinated.
The U.S. has quickened the pace of vaccinations significantly over the last few months. But Centers for Disease Control Director Rochelle Walensky warned Monday that the U.S. is in a "complicated" stage of the pandemic, as cases and hospitalizations are still increasing in some areas and variants continue to spread.