Half of US adults to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus, White House says

Half of all American adults will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Tuesday, White House senior COVID advisor Andy Slavitt announced during a White House COVID-19 briefing.

Across the country, 25 states and the District of Columbia have fully vaccinated 50% or more of their adult population, Slavitt said, and nine states recently reached 70% of adults with at least one shot. Federal data indicates over 128 million U.S. adults have completed a vaccination series, with 74% of adults over the age of 65 now fully vaccinated.  Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline as more Americans become vaccinated. She specifically noted a seven-day average of 22,877 cases per day, marking an approximate 25% decrease over the prior seven-days. The figures also reflect one week with a seven-day average below 30,000 cases. The seven-day average for COVID-19 related hospital admissions is 3,080, down nearly 17% from the prior period, with daily deaths at 501.