Most States on Board with President’s Goal of Opening Covid Shots to All Adults by May 1; Minnesota Going Universal Next Week

On March 11, President Joe Biden told states to make coronavirus vaccine available to all adults by May 1. Two weeks later, more than 40 states have said they can meet or beat that deadline. South Dakota is among the states planning to open up coronavirus vaccination to everyone by May 1, after we get through Phase 1E, which we opened this week, for firefighters and public-facing workers in essential and critical infrastructure:

Meanwhile, Minnesota will start offering coronavirus vaccines to every adult next Tuesday:

“The final eligibility expansion comes as the federal government has promised an increased supply of vaccine by April,” according to a statement issued by Walz spokesman Teddy Tschann, who said the governor will make the announcement Friday morning.

That means another 1.2 million Minnesotans will be added to the pool of state residents seeking protection from the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 [Glenn Howatt and Jeremy Olson, “All Minnesotans 16 and Older Will Be Eligible for Covid-19 Vaccine Starting March 30,” Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 2021.03.25].

Minnesota has gotten at least one coronavirus shot into the arms of 28.1% of its people and fully vaccinated 16.0%. South Dakota is still ahead on those counts, with 31.6% of us carrying at least one dose and 19.5% fully poked.

Minnesota has delivered 84.58% of the vaccine doses it has received, the eighth-best administration rate among the states and D.C. South Dakota is in 20th place, administering 79.85% of the vaccine doses it has received so far.

But our progress in vaccination doesn’t mean we can let our guard down. Cases are trending up in both Minnesota and South Dakota. The seven-day moving average here in South Dakota is still worse than it was during the first wave last spring. Get your shots, but keep wearing your mask in public and staying home as much as you can.