A CDC panel recommended Dec. 1 that healthcare workers especially at risk of being exposed to COVID-19 and long-term care facility residents and staff should be the first to receive vaccines. Among states, North Dakota has the highest share of adults in these groups, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis.
The analysis, released Dec. 10, examined 2019 data from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey and CMS' Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports to provide national and state-level estimates of the number of people who are expected to be part of the initial vaccination priority group.
Nationwide, about 17.6 million people, or about 7 percent of the U.S. adult population, are healthcare workers with direct patient contact and residents in either nursing facilities or assisted living facilities, according to the analysis.
The analysis also shows the number of nursing facility residents or healthcare workers with direct patient contact varies among states, from 28,100 in Wyoming, to nearly 1.7 million in California. North Dakota is the state with the highest share of adults in these groups (10 percent), and Nevada is the state with the lowest (4.6 percent).
Here are 10 states with the highest priority population for COVID-19 shots as a share of total adults, according to the analysis. The list includes ties.
1. North Dakota (10 percent)
2. Pennsylvania (8.3 percent)
3. Rhode Island (8.1 percent)
3. Minnesota (8.1 percent)
4. Ohio (8 percent)
4. Massachusetts (8 percent)
4. New York (8 percent)
5. Delaware (7.9 percent)
5. Connecticut (7.9 percent)
5. South Dakota (7.9 percent)
Here are 10 states with the lowest priority population for COVID-19 shots as a share of total adults, according to the analysis. The list includes ties.
1. Nevada (4.6 percent)
2. Arizona (5.5 percent)
2. California (5.5 percent)
2. Georgia (5.5 percent)
3. Hawaii (5.7 percent)
4. Utah (5.8 percent)
5. Washington state (5.9 percent)
6. Idaho (6.1 percent)
6. South Carolina (6.1 percent)
6. Virginia (6.1 percent)