HANCOCK — As vaccine supplies increase throughout the five-county region, the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department is expanding eligibility for who can sign up.

In addition to people 65 and older, the eligible groups now include people 50 and older with underlying health conditions and caregivers of children with special health needs. The state announced the expanded criteria Friday. Those groups will also still be prioritized when the vaccine expands to the general population.

Right now, about 1,500 first doses per week are coming to the five-county area, versus 900 at the start, said Kate Beer, health director for the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department.

As of Monday, 27.2% of people over 16 in the five-county area have received at least one dose of a vaccine (up from 24.2% a week ago), and 18.2% have had a second dose (up from 16.6%). For people over 64, the numbers are 61.4% for the first dose (58.7% a week ago) and 40.9 have had a second dose (37.2%).

Beer is hopeful the WUPHD will be able to follow the state plan. That calls for people 50 and over to become eligible March 22, and all people 16 and up by April 5. Whether that happens depends on the vaccine supply staying stable or increasing, Beer said. It also depends on the length of waitlists, which have begun to shrink, Beer said.

“If we get more people interested in the vaccine, then it may take a week or two longer,” she said.

Waitlists depend on the provider, Beer said. Gogebic and Ontonagon counties have almost exhausted their waitlists, while Houghton County’s is at about 300 people.

The WUPHD has been using the Moderna vaccine. The WUPHD is also piloting a plan for mobile vaccinations for those who are housebound or have trouble getting transportation. Those will use the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is easier to store.

“It’s going to be a very labor-intensive project,” Beer said. “That’s why we’ve reserved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for that purpose, because you only have to go there once.”

The project is expected to take several weeks. It will take first priority for Johnson & Johnson doses, with any leftover doses going to the public once the project finishes. Additional doses are not expected to be shipped until late April.

The WUPHD is working with Meals on Wheels and local home care and private duty companies to get a list of people who qualify.

They or the general public can check coppercountrystrong.com/vaccines for a list of providers in their area. People without computer access should call 211 or their healthcare provider for help scheduling an appointment.

Local health care providers are holding vaccine clinics at 821 Water St. in Hancock. On Wednesday, Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center will host a vaccination clinic there from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Vaccinations at Wednesday’s clinic will be available by appointment only. To be added to the list, call 906-483-1060.

Once everyone 16 and over is eligible for the vaccine, the length of the wait will vary depending on if additional providers come online, Beer said.

“We’re hoping that additional supply might come through some different channels — maybe some federal channels, through some of the pharmacies,” she said.

Once people have received their first shot, they should remove themselves from other waitlists, Beer said.

“There’s many waitlists out there, and it takes us a lot of time to work through them,” she said.

Houghton County was at 70.7 cases per million as of Friday, marking a 29-day downward trend dating back to Feb. 12, when the level was at 251.

Beer said the department had only received a few complaints from residents about noncompliance since the relaxation of some COVID-19 restrictions last month. The only outbreaks reported have been among individual families or clusters of family members, she said.

Beer said she was worried the area might see an increase in cases from students traveling for spring break. Michigan Technological University, which had its spring break last week, is holding a mass-testing site for students starting Friday.

There are no events planned for families in K-12 schools after their spring break later in the month, but Beer encourages anyone who travels to get tested upon their return.

“People can always go to their provider and get tested if they have any symptoms,” she said. “We encourage them to do that, especially if they’ve traveled.”