US COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Top 440 Million
Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center.
The U.S. has administered more than 440 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines across the country as of Sunday morning, according to the latest update from the CDC.
More than 226 million people have received at least one vaccine dose, and 195 million people are considered fully vaccinated. More than 29 million have received a booster dose.
Across the entire U.S. population, 68% of eligible people have received at least one shot. Among those ages 65 and older, 99.1% have been vaccinated.
Among people ages 18 and older, 81.3% have received at least one dose. For all eligible people in the U.S. — including ages 12 and older — the vaccination rate is 79.4%.
About 15% of the population has received a booster dose, the CDC data shows. About 35.5% of people ages 65 and older have received an extra shot, followed by 24.5% of ages 50 and older and 16% of ages 18 and older.
Nearly 10 million vaccine doses were administered during the past week, which is the most since late May, according to Bloomberg News. The number has increased due to booster shots, vaccine requirements, and availability of pediatric doses for kids ages 5-11.
At the same time, COVID-19 cases are trending upward in the U.S. For the week that ended Friday, new infections were at the highest point in more than a month, the news outlet reported.
Most states are seeing an increase in cases, according to USA Today. Infections are on the rise in the Mountain West and the North, including highly vaccinated states such as Vermont.
No state has achieved a high enough vaccination rate, even when combined with infection-induced immunity, to avoid the outbreaks happening now, the news outlet reported. The more contagious Delta variant is driving the new outbreaks, and unvaccinated people account for most illnesses and hospitalizations across the country.
Sources:
CDC: “COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States.”
Bloomberg News: “U.S. Cases Trend Up; German Troops on Standby: Virus Update.”
USA Today: “Most states see rising COVID cases as winter surge fears grow.”
Source: Read Full Article