Though adults 65 and older have accounted for 75% or more of all COVID-19 deaths every month since the pandemic took hold last spring, a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) analysis finds that most seniors have not yet been vaccinated against the virus, as supplies remain limited.
Among the District of Columbia and 14 states that now vaccinate people 65 and older, the share of that demographic who have gotten at least one dose ranges from 34% in West Virginia to 10% in Pennsylvania (though KFF data do not yet include Philadelphia County).
Meanwhile, in the 13 states that vaccinate adults 60 and older, the range of people in that age group who have received at least one dose ranges from 37% in Alaska to 9% in Rhode Island.
The analysis, based on data retrieved as of Feb. 4, 2021, attributes the low percentages, in part, to limited vaccine supply and a range of problems encountered by older adults, such as not knowing how to schedule appointments or where to get vaccinated, waiting in long lines, or arriving for an appointment only to learn that vaccines are no longer available. The lack of vaccinated older adults contributes to home care workforce challenges as many staff do not feel safe in people’s homes due to the pandemic.
