March 3, 2021 (Anchorage, AK) – Governor Mike Dunleavy today called the move to expand the vaccine eligibility criteria for the state-allocated COVID-19 vaccine significant as part of the process in accelerating Alaska’s recovery and getting the economy back up and running.

Alaska continues to lead the nation in vaccinations.

The newly eligible group, Phase 1c, will include persons ages 55-64 years, plus persons ages 16 and above who are essential workers as defined by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), or who have certain medical conditions, or who live in multigenerational households or in communities with limited plumbing.

This newly expanded group will include 103,000 essential workers who work in fields such as education, food production and agriculture, manufacturing, public transit, grocery stores, transportation and logistics, food service, shelter and housing, finance, IT and communication, energy, media, legal, public safety, law enforcement, water and wastewater or with the U.S. Postal Service.

Alaskans who were previously eligible (Phase 1a and 1b) can continue to get immunized against COVID-19 if they have not already done so.

“By giving more Alaskans the opportunity to get vaccinated, the faster we can get Alaskan business thriving again,” said Governor Mike Dunleavy. “This is the jump start to get our economy going again.”

People can learn more at covidvax.alaska.gov, or may call 1-907-646-3322 from 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on weekends.

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