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West Virginia Opens Vaccine Eligibility To All 16 And Over

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia is immediately opening coronavirus vaccine eligibility to all residents aged 16 and older.

Gov. Jim Justice announced on Monday that his state will become one of the few to lift virtually all eligibility requirements way ahead of President Joe Biden's goal of May 1.

Justice said the state will continue prioritizing doses for residents 65 and over.

Census data says there are about 1.43 million people 18 and older in the state.

State data showed that nearly 25% of the total population was partially vaccinated as of Monday; 15% were fully inoculated against the disease that has killed 2,612 people so far in West Virginia.

(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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