Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine expands COVID-19 vaccine eligibility

Ohio residents 16 and older will be able to seek out the COVID-19 vaccine before the end of the month, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Tuesday, joining the list of governors moving to aggressively expand eligibility as supply increases.

Mr. DeWine, a Republican, said Ohioans 40 and older and anyone with severe illnesses like cancer and kidney disease will be eligible Friday, before he opens the floodgates to 16-and-up on March 29.

“It’s a moral imperative that we move as quickly as we can to vaccinate all Ohioans who wish to be vaccinated. We expect a significant increase in vaccines coming to Ohio soon, so we will expand vaccine eligibility,” the governor tweeted.

President Biden recently ordered governors to ensure that all adults are eligible for the vaccine by May 1.

At the same time, his team acknowledged that many states will hit that point ahead of time.

Alaska was already there by the time Mr. Biden laid down his marker. Gov. Mike Dunleavy expanded eligibility a week ago.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves followed suit by announcing vaccines are available to everyone above age 16.

It’s a great day to be a Mississippian!” the Republican tweeted Tuesday. “If you want a shot, you can get a shot!  New appointments available statewide at http://covidvaccine.umc.edu! Great day indeed!”

Expanding eligibility doesn’t mean people will get the shots instantly. Residents still need to make appointments as limited supply flows into the states.

Other governors are following step-by-step phases to ensure more vulnerable residents, especially seniors, get first dibs on shots from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson as production ramps up.