COVID-19 vaccines will be available to people 65 and older and those included in Phase 1C of the state’s vaccination plan beginning Monday, March 15, the state Department of Health announced today.
“This is another huge step in the ongoing effort to protect Hawaii residents from COVID-19,” state Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char said in a news release. “We will continue to administer vaccines soon after they arrive and are pleased we can now offer shots to more people.”
The state’s vaccination plan prioritizes distribution of vaccines in two phases.
The first phase has three components, with an emphasis on high-risk populations.
Phase 1A includes health care personnel and long-term care facility residents, while Phase 1B includes front-line essential workers, such as teachers, and adults 75 and older.
Adults 65-74, people 16-64 with high-risk medical conditions and essential workers not included in 1B can be vaccinated in Phase 1C.
The state recently expanded eligibility to those who are 70-74.
Phase 2 will cover the rest of the population, which includes everyone 16 and older not included in previous categories.
According to the DOH, essential workers are people in industries and occupations important to the functioning of society and at increased risk of exposure. This includes people who work in hotels and hospitality, food service, banking and finance, transportation, construction, media, logistics, information technology and more.
According to the DOH, Hawaii’s weekly vaccine allotment from the federal government has gradually increased from about 40,000 doses a week in early February to more than 62,000 doses this week. This growth is expected to continue.
However, Phase 1C is the state’s largest vaccination group, and working through this phase will take a few months.
“We still do not have enough vaccines to get to everyone right away,” Char said. “Everyone will have the opportunity to be vaccinated but Phase 1C is a very large proportion of the community, so we ask that people continue to be patient as the vaccination program continues to gain momentum.”
Registration opportunities for those 65 and older and others in Phase 1C will soon be available through links posted on hawaiicovid19.com and from health care providers around the state.