Nearly 50 percent of all adults in the U.S. are now fully vaccinated.
This stat, among other notable milestones, is included in the latest update from the CDC regarding nationwide vaccination data. 49.6 percent of the U.S. population 18 years of age and older are now fully vaccinated, while 61.3 percent of all adults have received at least one dose. For those 65 years of age or older, 85.4 percent have received at least one dose and 73.9 percent are fully vaccinated.
As pointed out in a CNN report on Monday, at least 25 states—as well as D.C.—have now fully vaccinated at least half of their residents 18 years of age or older. States that have hit this key benchmark as of Monday morning include Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Andy Slavitt, a top COVID-19 adviser to the Biden administration, said during a press briefing on Friday that—while these numbers are promising—the country’s health officials must continue pushing for higher vaccination rates to ensure continued improvement in the months ahead.
“The impact has been everything we could have hoped for, given the power of vaccines,” Slavitt said. “Across the country, cases of COVID-19, serious illness, and loss of life are all down dramatically from when we arrived. And they can be brought down even further, and the risk of a future wave in your community significantly reduced, if we keep up the pace of vaccinations.”
Slavitt then addressed those who haven’t “prioritized” their vaccination, explaining that—starting this week—sending a text to 438829 will provide an instant rundown of local vaccination sites and transportation options.
If you haven’t kicked off your vaccination process yet, give that number a try and/or hit up the VaccineFinder service to make an appointment and help push the vaccination numbers in your region (and nationwide) even higher.
