Feb 19, 2021, 6:13 PM HST
The right to vaccination is about to expand in Hawai’i to a slightly younger demographic.
Health director Dr. Elizabeth Char announced on Friday that the state will soon be opening COVID-19 vaccinations to people over 70. Currently, kūpuna 75 and older are eligible for vaccination.
“We are still in phase 1B, and we are not ready to enter phase 1C yet. But soon we want to welcome those 70 and older to get vaccinated. We know we still have kūpuna and vital workers on the front lines waiting to be vaccinated, ”said Dr. Char. “We’ve been vaccinating kūpuna since about mid-January, so we want to add 70 and over to really keep the vaccine uptake smooth.”
The Department of Health will announce when sites are willing to accept registration for this new age group.
However, vaccine availability is still affected by weather-related delays. A total of 27,700 doses of the Moderna vaccine, originally expected the week of Feb. 15, are being delayed due to ice storms on the mainland. DOH is awaiting news as to when shipments will resume and when Moderna will ship the overdue doses. The state expects to receive more than 50,000 doses by the week of February 22.