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Coping with COVID: Kansas to combine, begin phases 3 and 4 of COVID-19 vaccinations next week

A new combined vaccination phase starting March 22 will cover 20 percent of Kansas residents, vaccinating around 600,000 eligible individuals ranging in ages from 16 through 64. Phase 3 and 4 will give the COVID-19 vaccine to those with certain medical conditions as well as a variety of non-medical workers.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced the state will combine phases 3 and 4 of its vaccination plan, which now includes people aged 16 through 64 with medical conditions like cancer, diabetes and pregnancy as well as non-health care workers in a number of industries.

The governor said Kansans who fall into the new combined phase will be able to get vaccinated starting March 22. The combined phase will cover about 600,000, or about 20%, of the state’s 2.9 million residents.

Kelly expects Kansas to have larger supplies of all three vaccines as soon as next week. The announcement of an expedited vaccination plan comes a week before the state expects to receive 100,000 doses of a single-shot vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson.

As of Monday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reports that about 568,000 people have received one dose of the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Only 287,000 people, or about 10% of the state’s population, is fully vaccinated.