U.S. CDC expands COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to 16 and older

[April 20, 2021]    (Reuters) - Everyone in United States aged 16 years and above is now eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Monday.

Nursing student Erika Lohr vaccinates a patient as California opens up vaccine eligibility to any residents 16 years and older during the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Chula Vista, California, U.S., April 15, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Blake

People aged 16 years and above who have underlying medical conditions that increase the risk of serious, life-threatening complications from COVID-19, should be among those offered the vaccine first, according to the U.S. health agency's latest recommendations.

Majority of U.S. states have already expanded their COVID-19 vaccine rollouts to people from this age group. Alaska was the first state to lower statewide eligibility to age 16 and was followed by states including Georgia, Texas and California.

Earlier in April, U.S. President Joe Biden had directed states to widen the vaccine eligibility to people aged 18 or above by April 19. No COVID-19 vaccine is authorized yet for those under 16, although testing is underway.

More than half of U.S. adults have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, according to CDC.

(Reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)

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