Michigan is expanding vaccine eligibility to everyone age 50 and over as of March 22 and adding everyone 16 and over as of April 5, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Friday. The announcement came a day after President Biden’s prime-time address, in which he directed states to expand eligibility to all adults by May 1.
“Nearly 1 million Michiganders of all races have already been safely vaccinated,” Ms. Whitmer, a Democrat, said in a statement. “I urge all eligible Michiganders to get one of the three Covid-19 vaccines.”
Currently, everyone in Michigan 65 and older is eligible for vaccination, as are people over 50 who have health conditions that would increase their risk of serious complications from Covid-19, including obesity, hypertension or diabetes. On March 22, all adults with such health conditions will also be eligible.
According to a New York Times database, 19 percent of Michiganders have received at least one dose of vaccine and 11 percent have been fully vaccinated, putting the state’s pace roughly at the U.S. average.
Earlier this week, Alaska became the first state to open eligibility to everyone 16 or older, and Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah announced that all adults would be eligible for the vaccine there on April 1.
In a news briefing on Friday, Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado said he expects that all adults would be eligible in his state by mid-April, though he did not set a specific date.
“Last night President Biden directed that all Americans should be able to receive the vaccine by May 1,” Mr. Polis said in making the announcement. “In Colorado we always aim to do better. We’re very competitive.”
Mr. Polis said that as of next Friday, when vaccine eligibility will be expanded to include people 50 and over as well as essential workers in a variety of occupations, about half of Coloradans would be able to get the vaccine.
A number of other states, including Texas and New York, have announced expansions of eligibility to new categories this week.
In Connecticut, the state had already planned to allow people aged 16 and older to get a vaccination appointment starting May 3.
