COVID news: Half of new COVID cases in just 5 states; 80% of teachers vaccinated usatoday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from usatoday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
New York and Maryland will open vaccine eligibility to those who are 16 years or older on Tuesday, the day after 12 states did the same as the country continues in its race against more mutated forms of coronavirus spreading.
The two states will join a dozen others that opened up vaccinations to all over 16: Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Michigan, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
The increased availability of vaccines comes as variants of COVID-19 continue to surge with more than 16,000 cases reported across the country.
Federally run vaccinations centers continue to pop up, with three more announced Monday by the White House. The sites, in South Carolina, Colorado and Minnesota, bring the total number of vaccination sites to 28.