The Trump administration on Tuesday issued new guidelines that expand coronavirus vaccine eligibility to everyone age 65 and older as well as to those with comorbid conditions, like diabetes.

The states’ focus on vaccinating health-care workers and nursing homes has created a bottleneck, a senior administration official told CNBC, speaking on condition of anonymity in advance of the formal announcement.

“The states are being told immediately they need to expand to 65-plus as well as those under 65 with comorbid conditions,” the official said.

The administration will also stop holding back millions of doses reserved for the second round of shots of Pfizer and Moderna‘s two-dose vaccines, the official said, adding they released doses that had been held in reserve on Sunday.

“States should not be waiting to complete phase 1a prioritization before proceeding to broader categories of eligibility,” Azar said Tuesday, explaining the new guidance. “Think of it like …continued .
[Source: CNBC News]