Alaska makes COVID-19 vaccines available to anyone above 16

Many US states are vaccinating only front-line workers, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

Alaska has become the first US state to make COVID-19 vaccines available to anyone age 16 or older, eliminating eligibility requirements for people who work or live there. Governor Mike Dunleavy announced the new rules on Tuesday for the state of about 730,000 people. “This marks a significant step forward in our efforts to put the virus behind us,” he tweeted. More than one-quarter of Alaskans have received at least one jab, second only to New Mexico, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).