States rapidly expand access to vaccines as supplies surge

Buoyed by a surge in vaccine shipments, states and cities are rapidly expanding eligibility for COVID-19 shots to teachers, 55-and-older Americans and other groups as the U.S. races to beat back the virus and reopen businesses and schools.

Arizona, Connecticut and Indiana have thrown open the line to the younger age bracket. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are reserving the first doses of the new oneshot vaccine from Johnson &

Johnson for teachers. And in Detroit, factory workers can get vaccinated starting this week, regardless of their age.

Giving the vaccine to teachers and other school staff “will help protect our communities,” Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said. “It’s going to take burdens off our parents and families. It’s going to make our schools get back to the business of teaching our kids.”

The vaccination campaign against the outbreak that has killed more than a half-million Americans has concentrated mostly on health care workers and senior citizens.

Around the U.S., politicians and school administrators have been pushing in recent weeks to reopen classrooms to stop students from falling behind and to enable more parents to go back to work instead of supervising their educations. But teachers have resisted returning without getting vaccinated.

The U.S. has administered nearly 80 million shots, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 20% of the nation’s adults, or close to 52 million people, have received at least one dose, and 10% have been fully inoculated.