Lawrence, KS – According to the statement, the final phase makes everyone age 16 and older, about 400,000 additional Kansans, eligible for the vaccine.
The announcement comes after Kansas moved into phases 3 and 4 of the rollout this week. Kelly said last week that she did not expect to move to phase 5 until late April.
The decision to open eligibility to all adults comes at a time local health departments are reporting a decline in demand despite the state moving into phases 3 and 4.
About 35% of adults in Kansas have received at least one dose of the vaccine, a notable Increase from last week, when an estimated 20% had been vaccinated. Kansas currently ranks 38th in the nation on vaccine distribution per capita.
Kansas will become the eighth state in the U.S. to make the vaccine available to all adults, joining Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Utah, and West Virginia.