COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Breakdown: Who is Eligible for the Vaccine in DE, MD, NJ, PA
This article originally written by WJBR Digital Content Intern, Elyse DiPisa. DiPisa is a sophomore Media Communications student at the University of Delaware from Montgomery County, PA. Along with being a Digital Content Intern for WJBR, Elyse also works for the university’s Student Television Network 49 News Program and as a tour guide for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
As more and more individuals have been getting vaccinated, states are routinely updating their vaccine eligibility. In case you have missed the most recent updates, here are the eligibility requirements for Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania according to state guidelines as of March 28.
Delaware
Delaware has already administered 433,516 vaccinations according to the state’s website. The first state currently has 152,054 fully vaccinated residents and in-state workers. These numbers have been increasing constantly.
As of the most recent update, Delawareans 50 years of age and older are eligible to receive the vaccine – along with health care personnel, long-term care staff or residents, individuals between the ages of 16 and up with high or moderate-risk health conditions, frontline and other essential workers, including educators and school staff, child care workers, first responders, food service, construction and transportation workers.
Maryland
According to the state of Maryland’s website, the state has fully vaccinated 899,450 individuals. Maryland has administered 2,532,863 total vaccination doses, including first, second, and single dose vaccines. The website numbers are updated daily as more individuals receive doses.
Since March 23, residents 60 and older, all licensed, registered, and certified healthcare providers, nursing home residents and staff, law enforcement officers and firefighters, EMS, and other first responders, correctional healthcare staff and officers, front line judiciary staff, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, high-risk incarcerated individuals, educators, including K-12 teachers, support staff, child care providers, essential workers in lab services, food/agriculture production, manufacturing, the U.S. Postal Service, public transit, and grocery store workers, are all eligible to receive a vaccine in accordance with guidelines outlined on the state’s website.
New Jersey
The state of New Jersey’s COVID-19 Dashboard says 1,444,961 individuals are now fully vaccinated. 3,970,723 vaccination doses have been administered, and 2,604,635 people have received at least one dose of a vaccine. This number is repeatedly updated as updates are available.
Eligible individuals in New Jersey according to the state are as follows: Paid and unpaid healthcare workers, residents and workers of long-term care and high-risk congregate care facilities, first responders including sworn law enforcement and fire professionals, individuals 65 and over, individuals aged 16-64 that have certain medical conditions that increase the risk of severe illness from the virus, Pre-K to 12 educators and staff, childcare workers in licensed and registered settings, transportation workers, additional public safety workers, and other additional high-risk individuals.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania currently has administered 4,913,754 total vaccines, and has a total of 1,731,923 fully vaccinated residents. The state’s online COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard updates its numbers and charts as new information is acquired.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health website states that the current phase outlines eligible individuals as long-term care facility residents, healthcare personnel, peoples not directly involved in patient care but potentially exposed to infectious material that can transmit disease among or from health care personnel and patients, individuals 65 years and older, and individuals between the ages of 16-64 with high-risk conditions.
Vaccine data that breaks down the number of vaccinated individuals by county is accessible through the states’ websites.
States are updating their eligibility requirements regularly, and dates and information for next phases in the vaccination process are available on their websites.