Delaware To Open Vaccines Wednesday To All Over 50; And Those 16-64 With Underlying Conditions

Delaware on Wednesday will began allowing pharmacies to vaccinate people 50 and older, and those 16-64 with high to moderate-risk underlying conditions.

It also will open its state vaccination waiting list to anyone aged 50 and older. Register here.

The Medical Society of Delaware said the underlying health conditions include, but are not limited to, cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), diabetes mellitus, down syndrome, serious heart conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies, immunocompromised state from solid organ transplant, obesity, sickle cell disease, current or former cigarette smoker, intellectual or developmental disability, severe and persistent mental/behavioral health condition, pregnancy, asthma (moderate-to-severe), cerebrovascular disease, cystic fibrosis, hypertension or high blood pressure. immunocompromised state from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines; neurologic conditions, such as dementia; liver disease; overweight; pulmonary fibrosis; and thalassemia.

The Medical Society of Delaware said doctors were advised to use clinical judgment and patient histories to prioritize their patients.

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Non-paid caregivers who care for persons with high-risk health conditions, especially those who require assistance with activities of daily living (such as meal preparation, dressing, grooming, medication monitoring, transportation and housekeeping), are also be eligible to decrease the risk of infection for patients.

The state is opening up vaccines to help fulfill President Joe Biden’s directive to make all adults eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine by May 1. It’s also been sending invitations to be vaccinated to people on the state registry and people are not responding. That’s often because they’ve gotten shots elsewhere.

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“We are in a position to make them available to more Delawareans,” Dr. Karyl Rattay, director of the Delaware Division of Public Health, said in the press release. “So we are making a strong push through the end of March to vaccinate the remaining seniors 65+ and frontline essential workers who want a vaccine, and are excited to be able to begin reaching other vulnerable Delawareans.”

The state press release said that during the next several weeks, Delaware will continue to focus on 65+ residents who are registered on the state’s waiting list.

Individuals in the 65+ category should go here to request an invitation to a state event.

People in the new category of 50+ will be able to get vaccinated at pharmacies this week, or put themselves on the state’s waiting list next week when it opens to this group on March 23. On March 26-28, the state will host a vaccination event for that group at the Dover Speedway.

Front-line and essential employers should email [email protected] to plan vaccinations of their employees.

High- to moderate-risk individuals above the age of 16 and their caregivers should contact their medical provider or hospitals.

The state will focus on vaccinating the remaining members of 65+ group, essential workers and vaccine equity events before they begin to vaccinate individuals meeting the new criteria.

Any Delawarean who is 65+ and not currently registered on the state’s vaccination waiting list should register at vaccinerequest.delaware.gov for an opportunity to be vaccinated. Invitations for state-coordinated vaccination are now being sent to all persons remaining on the list.

As of Monday, 331,734 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had been given, and 20% of Delawareans have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

Rattay said 124,191 people are fully vaccinated and 90,052 have had one of two doses.

Rattay said 74,000 seniors are fully vaccinated and 49,000 people under the age of 65 have been.

That means one in five Delawareans have had at least one shot; 67% of seniors are partly or fully vaccinated; and 24% of people ages 16 and up are partly or fully vaccinated.

Residents can go to de.gov/covidvaccine to find a list of participating vaccination providers.

Here’s a list of places to try.

Also of interest:

Carney said the state will be easing some COVID-19 restrictions as new cases and hospitalization continue a decline, testing seems to have plateaued and so many people are vaccinated. He said state officials have had a call with the Delaware Restaurant Association, among others, about changes.
Rattay urged people to follow strict guidelines when traveling and said that being fully vaccinated is not a golden ticket. She urged people who were traveling to consider having a COVID test up to three days before they leave and, after they return, to consider quarantining themselves for seven days and then having another test before they go around anyone else.
Rattay also said the areas the state is looking at for having more cases than expected are Hockessin, Townsend, Viola and Newark. She praised UD officials for cutting the number of new cases there with ramped-up testing and new restrictions such as closing the cafeterias and refusing to allow visitors to the dorms.

Delaware to open vaccines Wednesday to all over 50; and those 16-64 with underlying conditions

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