60% of Americans are fully vaccinated

As of Monday, 60 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).This in

As of Monday, 60 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This includes almost 70 percent of Americans age 12 and up, 72 percent of adults, and 87 percent of seniors.

Vermont leads the country with 74 percent of residents fully vaccinated, while Idaho is in last place with under 46 percent of residents fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.

The U.S. hits this vaccination milestone as the Omicron variant continues spreading across the country – now detected in 19 states – and the Delta variant continues driving a new surge in cases, ahead of the December holidays.

To protect against both variants, CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky encouraged Americans to get vaccinated, and for those who got their first doses in early 2021 to receive a booster shot, in a press briefing on Tuesday.

About 60% of Americans are now fully vaccinated against Covid, according to CDC data. The nation hits the milestone almost exactly a year since the first shots were approved. Pictured: Sandra Lindsay, a nurse in Long Island, New York, was one of the first people in the U.S. to be vaccinated on December 14, 2020

Statewide vaccination rates range from 74% of residents fully vaccinated in Vermont to under 46% of residents fully vaccinated in Idaho

On December 11, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized Pfizer’s Covid vaccine for American adults – making it the first Covid vaccine to be used in the U.S.

Almost one year later, 60 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated against Covid, according to the CDC.

This amounts to nearly 200 million Americans who are fully vaccinated, making them protected against severe disease and death from Covid.

According to CDC data, 64 percent of the country’s eligible population – Americans age five and up – are fully vaccinated against Covid.

Pfizer’s vaccine was authorized for children in the five to 11 age range in early November, and the children who received their first doses right after they became eligible are now able to get their second doses.

About 70 percent of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated, while 72 percent of those age 18 and up are fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.

Among Americans over age 65, almost 87 percent are fully vaccinated.

Overall, 71 percent of the total U.S. population has received at least one dose, as of Monday.

Vaccination rates vary wildly from state to state, as political views and other concerns have shaped attitudes towards the shots.

Many Northeastern states are among the leaders in vaccination rates.

Vermont has the highest vaccination rate of any state, with 74.0 percent of residents fully vaccinated.

Rhode Island has the second-highest rate at 73.7 percent, followed by Maine at 72.9 percent.

Connecticut and Massachusetts also have more than 70 percent of residents fully vaccinated, while New York and New Jersey follow at about 69 percent.

Meanwhile, Puerto Rico has a higher vaccination rate than any U.S. state – with 74.6 percent of residents fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.

The territory has achieved this vaccination rate with mandates, wide accessibility for the shots, and a lack of political polarization.

CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky encouraged Americans to get vaccinated for protection against both the Delta and Omicron variants. Pictured: Vaccination at a pop-up site in Freeport, New York, March 2021

On the other end of the spectrum, only 45.5 percent of Idaho residents are fully vaccinated.

Wyoming and Alabama are the next-least vaccinated states, with 46 percent and 46.5 percent of residents fully vaccinated, respectively.

Seven other states have less than half of their populations fully vaccinated, according to CDC data: Mississippi, West Virginia, North Dakota, Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, and Arkansas.

Under-vaccinated states may be more vulnerable to the Omicron variant, which was first identified in South Africa in late November.

Early reports from South Africa suggest that this variant may be more contagious than even the Delta variant, though experts caution that all Omicron data at this point are preliminary.

The variant has been identified in 19 states as of Tuesday, and may potentially lead to new outbreaks.

In New York state – which has identified more Omicron cases than any other state – NYC mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new vaccine mandate for all private-sector employees on Monday.

The Omicron variant has been identified in 19 U.S. states as of Tuesday

Despite Omicron concerns, the Delta variant is still causing over 99 percent of Covid cases in the U.S., CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

The country is reporting over 100,000 new Covid cases and over 1,000 new deaths a day, Walensky said.

‘We must act together in this moment to address the impact of the current cases we are seeing, which are largely Delta, and to prepare ourselves for the possibility of more Omicron,’ she said.

While scientists are still working to understand Omicron, Walensky said that all evidence suggests that vaccines will still protect people against this variant.

‘So, if you are not yet vaccinated, this means getting vaccinated,’ she said. ‘If you are eligible to be boosted and you are not yet boosted, this also means getting boosted.’

As of Monday, 47 million Americans have received booster doses – including third doses of Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines, and second doses following an initial Johnson & Johnson shot.