Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. said this week that residents 16 or older will become eligible for Covid-19 vaccination on Monday, as all 50 states have said they would beat or meet President Biden’s calls to accelerate their eligibility timelines.
Washington D.C. announced the change on Thursday after the city government realized it had leftover appointments when it finished registering essential workers, seniors and those with medical conditions. Puerto Rico announced its decision on Wednesday and extended an overnight curfew as cases rise on the island.
While the pace of vaccinations across the country has reached an average of about three million doses a day, outbreaks of the virus in the Midwest and Northeast have federal health officials worried. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday that nationwide about 112 million people, or roughly one-third of the U.S. population, have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Earlier this week Hawaii became the last of the 50 states to accelerate its timeline for making all adults eligible for vaccination, heeding Mr. Biden’s calls for states, territories and tribes to do so.
About 33 percent of the total population in Washington D.C. has received one dose of the vaccine, near the national average of 34 percent, according to a New York Times analysis of C.D.C. data. Puerto Rico has seen 24 percent of its total population receive at least one shot, ranking it near the bottom among U.S. states and territories.
In Puerto Rico, Gov. Pedro R. Pierluisi said in a statement on Wednesday that a longer overnight curfew will start on Friday. Cases there have nearly doubled, based on a seven-day average, in the past two weeks, according to a New York Times database.
The start of the curfew, which will run until May 9, will move to 10 p.m., from midnight, and will continue to end at 5 a.m., Mr. Pierluisi said. Restaurants and businesses can continue to operate at 50 percent capacity, while bars and clubs remain closed, he said.
“We are seeing a dangerous spike in Covid cases that has led to a jump in hospitalizations and deaths,” Mr. Pierluisi said. “I have been very prudent when it comes to reopening and have always been willing to make the necessary adjustments to prevent cases from rising.”
