Kaiser Family Foundation Compares State COVID Vax Plans

How is your state prioritizing its COVID-19 vaccine rollout?

The approaches can differ. But for an overview, the Kaiser Family Foundation has a new analysis that examines the various approaches states are taking to manage limited initial vaccine supplies and balance the needs to vaccinate those at greatest risk and ensure a fast and effective effort. It includes a data table with information from all states. 

Explained authors led by Jennifer Kates, "We sought to gauge where states stand on prioritization and how they may differ from the latest CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations. We also identified where states are in their distribution timelines. It is important to note that state guidelines are fluid, with changes still ongoing. In addition, regardless of group prioritization, states are operating on different timelines so even those in the same priority order in different states may receive their vaccinations at different times. Finally, in many jurisdictions, states have further decentralized decisions about timelines to the local level, which has led to varying timelines of access within the same state."

Overall, Kates and colleagues concluded, "we find states are increasingly diverging from CDC guidance and from each other, suggesting that access to COVID-19 vaccines in these first months of the U.S. vaccine campaign may depend a great deal on where one lives." Timelines are also varying widely. 

Find the full breakdown at the Kaiser Family Foundation site.