Governor Carney Announces Updates to COVID-19 Vaccination Program
Today, Governor John Carney and the Delaware Division on Public Health (DPH) announced an expansion of Delaware’s COVID-19 vaccination program.
On Wednesday, pharmacies in Delaware may begin vaccinating Delawareans aged 50+.
Also on Wednesday, health care providers, including hospitals, may vaccinate patients 16+ with high and moderate-risk medical conditions.
On Tuesday, March 23, the State of Delaware will open its COVID-19 vaccination waiting list at vaccinerequest.delaware.gov to any Delawarean, 50+.
As of Monday, March 15, Delaware vaccination providers had administered 319,587 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Twenty percent of Delaware's population has received at least one dose of the vaccine. Governor Carney's announcement on Tuesday is in line with President Biden's directive to make all adults eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine by May 1.
During today's press conference, Governor Carney was asked when Delaware could see an expansion into Phase 1C individuals, to which he replied that the state is moving away from the phased approach.
Over the next several weeks, the State of Delaware will continue to focus on vaccinating 65+ Delawareans who are registered on the state's waiting list. 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 waiting list.
According to the State of Delaware's new vaccination guidance, Delaware health care providers, including hospitals, should use their clinical judgement to vaccinate individuals 16-64 with underlying health conditions. The list of qualifying conditions provided by the State is not an all-inclusive of eligible conditions.
The State of Delaware also will continue to partner with employers to vaccinate front-line, 1B-eligible workers, and begin moving into vaccinations for other essential workers. Employers who have not contacted the Division of Public Health (DPH) should email vaccineplanning@delaware.gov to begin developing vaccination plans for their employees.
Learn more about Delaware’s COVID-19 vaccination program at de.gov/covidvaccine.