To expedite the COVID-19 vaccination pace and make more shots available to the public, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the federal government is changing its vaccine allocation method by prioritizing states that can quickly administer the vaccines and the size of the over-65 population, rather than focusing on the size of the population in total. The administration will also begin distributing all reserved COVID-19 vaccine doses and encourage states to give vaccines to people ages 65 and older, as well as anyone under 65 with underlying health conditions.