RI Expects To Open Vaccine Eligibility To All Adults April 19

PROVIDENCE, RI — All Rhode Islanders aged 16 and older should be eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine starting April 19, Gov. Dan McKee announced Thursday. This will only be possible if the state is provided more vaccine doses from the federal government, he said.

"When we open eligibility on the 19th, that does not mean everyone will have an appointment on the 20th," McKee cautioned, saying it will likely take several weeks to schedule appointments for everyone who wants them.

In order to reach President Joe Biden's goal of making vaccines available to everyone aged 16 and older by May 1, the state will need a larger weekly supply of doses, McKee said. He and Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, sent a letter to the Biden Administration asking for an additional 50,000 doses per week.

Rhode Island received about 47,000 vaccine doses in the past week, and had 62,000 vaccine appointments. The state currently has the capacity to administer 100,000 vaccine doses, with plans to increase capability to 150,000 doses per week.

"When the supply increases, Rhode Island must be ready to hit the ground running," McKee said.

The department will announce more detailed timelines of when each age group will become eligible in the coming weeks, Alexander-Scott said.