Here's Why Washington Is Waiting To Open Up Vaccine Eligibility

SEATTLE — While a growing number of states are announcing plans to open vaccine eligibility to all groups before May, Washington has yet to hop on board.

On Monday morning, New York state announced all people 30 and older would qualify for vaccines by Tuesday, followed by everyone 16 and older on April 6. That timeline is nearly a month earlier than President Joe Biden's goal for all states to open up eligibility by May 1.

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Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Louisiana, North Dakota and Texas expanded eligibility to all Monday, with Minnesota, South Carolina and Indiana set to follow suit Wednesday. Michigan will join the group on April 5, followed by California on April 15. Oregon's current timeline allows for some counties to seek wide eligibility by the last week of April.

The White House estimates that 90 percent of U.S. adults will qualify for a shot by April 19.

In Washington, the next big step arrives on March 31, extending eligibility for another 2 million residents under the third and fourth tiers of Phase 1B. Notable changes include dropping the universal age threshold down to 60 and allowing people 16 and older with two or more underlying conditions to seek appointments. The tiers also permit more essential workers, like restaurant staff, to get vaccinated and adds broad eligibility for residents and staff in jails, prisons, homeless shelters and other congregate settings.

Even with the new tiers, an estimated 1.2 million Washingtonians will remain outside eligibility groups after Wednesday. State health officials have indicated they will meet the May 1 deadline but have not hinted whether that day could come sooner.

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State and local health officials have pointed to persistent supply constraints in vaccination efforts, and the outlook for weekly deliveries is relatively steady in the mid-300,000 dose range through April 11. By comparison, health care providers last week requested nearly 500,000 doses, according to the state Department of Health.

During a news briefing last Friday, King County's health officer cautioned demand would considerably outpace supply even under the state's existing timeline, with only enough first doses for one in 10 people who qualify for an appointment. Adding all adults prematurely, before more doses are in hand, could also highlight other challenges for the state's distribution efforts.

"I think increasing the eligibility to all adults would not only further exacerbate the discrepancy between supply and demand, I think it would potentially exacerbate inequities in vaccine distribution," Dr. Jeff Duchin said. "Because we know that people who have more resources and who are more savvy about seeking vaccine are able to acquire it more readily. That would potentially further disenfranchise some in the community that are already under-vaccinated and having difficulty accessing vaccine."

The federal government has promised a significant increase in shipments beginning sometime in April, which state officials estimate could bring more than 600,000 doses each week. Once that happens, Washington leaders are confident they can quickly scale up efforts at existing mass vaccination sites and open more of them.

At Seattle's Lumen Field Events Center, city officials expect more than 22,000 doses could be administered each day at full capacity, a figure that represents nearly half of the current daily average across the entire state.

Those who already qualify for vaccines, under current or previous tiers, can look for appointments using the state's new Vaccine Locator tool or call the state hotline at 1-800-525-0127.