About 60% of American adults have had at least one dose of Covid vaccine
The US has reached a “landmark day” in the Covid-19 pandemic as 60% of American adults have gotten at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
In addition, more than 3.5 million people ages 12 to 17 have received their first dose, Dr. Rochelle Walensky said.
And more people of color are getting vaccinated — marking “encouraging national trends,” said White House Covid-19 Response Team senior adviser Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith.
In the past two weeks, 51% of those vaccinated in the US were people of color. That’s higher than the 40% of the general population these groups represent.
“We recognize ZIP code is a stronger predictor of health,” Nunez-Smith said.
Meeting people where they are and bringing vaccines to communities seem to be working, she said.
Black, Latino and Native American communities have been hit particularly hard by Covid-19. And some in those groups were hesitant about getting vaccinated because of medical mistreatment in the past.
But efforts to protect minority communities appear to be paying off. From all the federal vaccination sites run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, about 60% of shots have been given to people of color, Nunez-Smith said.
And about 70% of shots administered through the federal government’s community health centers have been given to people of color, she said.
But the need to vaccinate more Americans to help stop the virus from resurging is far from met.
“We need to continue to ensure vaccination coverage is uniform across the country,” Walensky said Tuesday.
“This will require us to meet people where they are, to listen to their concerns, and to help people make informed decision about vaccination.”
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