Half of American adults have already received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines

Half of adults in the United States have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine so far, the government said on Sunday, marking another important step in the vaccination campaign, but there is work to be done to convince skeptics to vaccinate.

Almost 130 million people de 18 años o más han recibido al menos una dosis de alguna de las vacunas available, o el 50.4% of the total adult population, informaron los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades de Estados Unidos (CDC por sus siglas en English). Almost 84 million people, or 32.5% of the adult population, have completed the immunization schedule (full doses and antibody generation period).

In reference to population over 65, the number of vaccinated with at least one dose is 81%, 65% having received both doses.

The United States surpassed the 50% mark for adults just a day after the global death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 3 million, according to totals compiled by Johns Hopkins University, although the actual numbers are assumed to be significantly older.

The country’s vaccination rate of 61.6 doses administered per 100 people is lower than that of Israel, which is the leader among countries of at least 5 million people with a rate of 119.2. The United States is also behind the United Arab Emirates, Chile and the United Kingdom, which vaccinate at a rate of 62 doses per 100 people, according to Our World in Data, an online research site.

The states with the highest vaccination rates have a habit of voting Democrats and supporting President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.: New Hampshire tops the list, with 71.1%, followed by New Mexico, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine, according to CDC data.

Tennessee is among the top four states for the rate of adults receiving at least one dose, at 40.8%. This rate is only lower than in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, states that lean towards Republicans and which voted for Donald Trump last year.

The vaccination campaign has offered hope in places like Nashville, Tennessee, where the Music City Center was crowded on Sunday with people wanting to be vaccinated. Strong demand for vaccines by appointment at the convention center has stabilized enough that walk-in visits are welcome this week.

Amanda Grimsley, who received her second dose, said she was now ready to see her 96-year-old grandmother, who lives in Alabama and was nervous about getting the vaccine after having a bad reaction flu shot. “It’s a little touching. I haven’t been able to see my grandmother for almost a year and a half, ”said Grimsley, 35. “This is the longest period my whole family has gone without seeing her. And now we will see it in mid-May ”.

Immunization rates do not always coincide with the state vote. But polls by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research have shown trends linking political trends to attitudes toward vaccines and other issues related to the pandemic, which has killed more than 566,000 people in the United States.

However, the willingness to be vaccinated has generally increased, according to surveys.

As of January, 67% of adult Americans were ready to be vaccinated or had already received at least one dose of the vaccine. The figure rose to 75%, according to the latest AP-NORC survey.

Nationwide, 24% of black Americans and 22% of Hispanics say they will likely or definitely not be vaccinated, up from 41% and 34% in January, respectively. Among non-Hispanic white Americans, 26% now say they will not get the vaccine. In January, that figure was 31%.

(With AP information)

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