The White House said the U.S. on Tuesday reached 50% of American adults fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
President Joe Biden had previously set a goal of having 70% of all American adults to have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine by July 4. As of Monday, the U.S. was at 49.8% of adults fully vaccinated, according to data from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Officials touted the numbers during Tuesday’s coronavirus briefing.
Weekend numbers released by the CDC show only four states have fully vaccinated at least half of their population against the coronavirus. Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont have reported vaccination rates of at least 50%, according to the CDC data.
A total of 21 states are reporting total population fully vaccinated rates of more than 40%. Georgia’s vaccination rate was 30.7%, one of the nation’s lowest. Mississippi, according to the data, has the nation’s lowest vaccination rate, with 26.5% of its total population fully vaccinated. Alabama was the only other state to report a total population vaccination level of less than 30%.
Also Tuesday, Moderna announced its coronavirus vaccine, authorized only for use in adults, was powerfully effective in 12- to 17-year-olds, and that it planned to apply to the Food and Drug Administration in June for authorization to use the vaccine in adolescents.
If approved, the vaccine would become the second COVID-19 vaccine available to U.S. adolescents. Federal regulators authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine this month for 12- to 15-year-olds.
New coronavirus cases across the United States have tumbled to rates not seen in more than 11 months, sparking optimism that vaccination campaigns are stemming severe COVID-19 cases and the spread of the virus.
As the seven-day average for new cases dropped below 30,000 per day last week, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky pointed out cases have not been this low since June 18, 2020. “As each week passes and as we continue to see progress, these data give me hope,” Walensky said Friday.
Health experts credit an efficient rollout of vaccines for the turnaround. But demand for vaccines has dropped across much of the country. Biden’s administration is trying to convince other Americans to sign up for shots, arguing vaccines offer a return to normal life.
White House health officials on Friday even waded into offering dating advice. They are teaming up with dating apps to offer a new reason to “swipe right” by featuring vaccination badges on profiles and in-app bonuses for people who have gotten their shots.
Ohio, New York, Oregon and other states are enticing people to get vaccinated through lottery prizes of up to $5 million.
There are currently three vaccines in use in the United States. The Biden administration has increased the number of inoculations it is exporting to other nations.
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