FILE – Medical Assistant Keona Shepard holds up the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine as she prepares to administer it at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center during the mass coronavirus vaccination in New Orleans, in this Thursday, March 4, 2021, file photo. (Chris Granger/The Advocate via AP, File)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz on Friday is expected to expand vaccine eligibility to all Minnesotans 16 and older next week following a promised increase in weekly doses from the federal government early next month.
The expansion in eligibility will go into effect on Tuesday, and is expected to coincide with an increase in vaccine supplies from the federal government, according to the governor’s spokesman Teddy Tschann. President Joe Biden has challenged states to make everyone eligible by May, and at least six, including North Dakota, will have reached that stage by March 29.
“We worked hard to vaccinate Minnesotans sooner than we originally projected, and we have made tremendous progress getting vaccines to Minnesotans who need them most,” Tschann said in a release Thursday. “Now, it’s time to get as many Minnesotans vaccinated as quickly as possible to end this pandemic.”
Infectious disease director Kris Ehresmann said during a media briefing Thursday that the state’s weekly allotment is expected to jump to about 304,000 doses in coming weeks based on projections from the federal government.