COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Tracker: Week of March 29

While not much has changed on the distribution front, quite a bit has changed when it comes to vaccine eligibility. As of March 30, only Wyoming has not yet announced when all adult residents will be eligible for the vaccine.

Expanding Eligibility

Some states have already opened up vaccine appointments to all adults, including:

But is this a wise decision? While Alaska, North Dakota, and West Virginia have been standouts for efficient distributionandhigh rates of full immunization since we started this tracker, the same is not true for the other states throwing open eligibility. In fact, most of these states rank on the bottom half of the national list of completely vaccinated populations.

In these states, people will be vying for first-time vaccine appointments alongside people still trying to get their second doses. And healthy, younger people will be seeking appointments alongside those who are higher risk for COVID-19. As of this moment, there is not enough supply to do both.

Who Is Doing it Right?

Still, some states deserve praise for their vaccination efforts in recent weeks. A standout example is Maine.

Maine CDC director Dr. Nirav Shah is also emphasizing the importance of tightly-run, large-scale vaccination clinics in the state. Since March 1, six mass vaccination sites have opened in Maine, helping the state brace for an increase in vaccine supply from the Biden administration.

“Every single site has indicated to us that they can be doing more,” Shah said, according to local news affiliateWGME. “More vaccines per day, more hours in a day, more days per week, if only they had more shots to give. So, we’ve been asking them, where can you go? If we remove the current constraint around supply, maybe not entirely, but relieve it greatly, how much more can you do?”

The goal at Maine’s Auburn Mall location, for example, is to vaccinate 1,000 people per day.

Why 70%?While there’s still no clear percentage of the population necessary to reach herd immunity for COVID-19, 70% is a good place to start. Herd immunity refers to the protectiveness achieved when a significant portion of a population develops immunity to an infectious disease, either through vaccination or having a prior illness. Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, used to say 60% to 70% of the population needed to be vaccinated or recovered to reach herd immunity,his projection has evolvedto range from 70% to 90%.Herd immunity is a complex calculation that relies on both past infections and number of people vaccinated. Because the World Health Organization emphasizes herd immunity should rely on vaccination and not disease exposure,for the sake of projections, our numbers focus on the time it will take to hit 70% through vaccination alone.

Why 70%?

While there’s still no clear percentage of the population necessary to reach herd immunity for COVID-19, 70% is a good place to start. Herd immunity refers to the protectiveness achieved when a significant portion of a population develops immunity to an infectious disease, either through vaccination or having a prior illness. Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, used to say 60% to 70% of the population needed to be vaccinated or recovered to reach herd immunity,his projection has evolvedto range from 70% to 90%.Herd immunity is a complex calculation that relies on both past infections and number of people vaccinated. Because the World Health Organization emphasizes herd immunity should rely on vaccination and not disease exposure,for the sake of projections, our numbers focus on the time it will take to hit 70% through vaccination alone.

Herd immunity is a complex calculation that relies on both past infections and number of people vaccinated. Because the World Health Organization emphasizes herd immunity should rely on vaccination and not disease exposure,for the sake of projections, our numbers focus on the time it will take to hit 70% through vaccination alone.

3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.See how the vaccine rollout is going in your county and state.The New York Times.Markowitz A.The COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan in Maine. AARP.World Health Organization.Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Herd immunity, lockdowns and COVID-19.

3 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.See how the vaccine rollout is going in your county and state.The New York Times.Markowitz A.The COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan in Maine. AARP.World Health Organization.Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Herd immunity, lockdowns and COVID-19.

See how the vaccine rollout is going in your county and state.The New York Times.Markowitz A.The COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan in Maine. AARP.World Health Organization.Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Herd immunity, lockdowns and COVID-19.

See how the vaccine rollout is going in your county and state.The New York Times.

Markowitz A.The COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan in Maine. AARP.

World Health Organization.Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Herd immunity, lockdowns and COVID-19.

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Expanding Eligibility#

Who Is Doing it Right?#

Why 70%?#

Expanding Eligibility

Who Is Doing it Right?

Why 70%?