CDC distributes $3 billion for vaccine preparedness

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is doling out more than $3.1 billion in federal funding under the last round of coronavirus relief legislation to help states and major cities administer vaccinations to their populations.

In press releases to local media, the CDC said it would distribute tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, based on a state’s population, to prepare for mass vaccination campaigns set to begin this month. President Biden plans to announce today that he will make all adults over the age of 16 eligible to receive a vaccine by April 19, moving up a previously scheduled deadline of May 1.

CDC will send grants approved under the American Rescue Plan to 64 states, territories and major cities, ranging from $1.1 million to American Samoa and the Northern Marianas Islands to $357 million to the state of California, and more than $100 million each to Florida, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.

“We are doing everything we can to expand access to vaccinations. Millions of Americans are getting vaccinated every day, but we need to ensure that we are reaching those communities hit hardest by this pandemic,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. “This investment will support state and local health departments and community-based organizations as they work on the frontlines to increase vaccine access, acceptance and uptake.”

The American Rescue Plan set aside almost $13.5 billion for state and local governments to combat the coronavirus, including $10 billion for increased testing. The measure included appropriations to New York City, Los Angeles County, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia and San Antonio to bolster their testing or vaccine preparedness regimes.

The United States has vaccinated more than 3 million people a day over the last three days, according to CDC data. More than 20 million shots have been administered in California, and more than 10 million in Texas, New York and Florida.

Smaller states have had more success in vaccinating a wider percentage of their population. More than 41 percent of New Mexicans have received at least one dose of vaccine, and more than a third of residents in 17 other states have been jabbed at least once. A quarter of New Mexicans have been fully vaccinated against the virus, a mark South Dakota and Alaska are poised to reach in the coming days.