38.7% of Florida Residents are Fully Vaccinated
After more than a year of living through COVID-19, the worst of the pandemic in the U.S. appears to be over. Daily cases peaked in early January at more than 250,000 per day, but ever since, the U.S. has seen sharp declines in COVID-19 positive cases, even as more contagious variants have emerged. Now, the U.S. is looking toward a summer that might finally look a little closer to normal.
One of the biggest factors in the wind-down of the pandemic has been the availability of COVID-19 vaccines. COVID-19 vaccines first became available for select populations in December 2020, and by late April, any U.S. adult was eligible to get the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 50% of the total U.S. population had received at least one dose as of the beginning of June, and 41% of the population was fully vaccinated.
Going from zero vaccinated individuals to more than half the population in a span of six months is no small feat, and vaccination trends showed impressive growth early in the year. After an initially bumpy rollout, daily doses administered averaged 1 million in mid-January, 2 million in early March, and 3 million at the beginning of April—including several days with more than 4 million doses administered. In total, nearly 300 million doses had been administered by the end of May.
However, public health officials have since become increasingly worried at slowing rates of vaccine administration. Experts believe that the population is still far off from reaching herd immunity to the coronavirus through vaccinations, but overall demand for the vaccine has nonetheless tapered off throughout the spring. The 7-day average of doses administered peaked at around 3.3 million on April 11, but by the end of May, that figure had dropped below 1 million doses per day—even though it is easier than it has ever been to get the vaccine.
One of the key issues in vaccine administration has been vaccine skepticism. Public health experts have long anticipated that there would be hesitancy around the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, especially given the accelerated Food and Drug Administration process to get the immunizations approved. Reports of unpleasant side effects have also been a major source of hesitancy. These concerns may have been exacerbated by the temporary pause to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine rollout in April after a handful of patients developed blood clots after receiving the single-dose shot.
Others are skeptical of the risks of COVID-19 at this stage in the pandemic. Many individuals who have previously tested positive for the virus have declined to take a vaccine, believing themselves to be safe from future infections due to natural immunity. And as COVID-19 cases have taken a steep decline, some feel the virus no longer poses a threat.
The analysis found that by the end of May 2021, 38.7% of all Florida residents had been completely vaccinated, while 48.8% had received their first dose of the vaccine.
Here is a summary of the data for Florida:
• Percentage of total population fully vaccinated: 38.7%
• Percentage of total population w/ at least one dose: 48.8%
• Percentage of 65+ population fully vaccinated: 74.6%
• Percentage of 65+ population w/ at least one dose: 87.7%
• Cumulative COVID cases per 100k: 10,604
• Cumulative COVID deaths per 100k: 171
For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:
• Percentage of total population fully vaccinated: 40.5%
• Percentage of total population w/ at least one dose: 50.3%
• Percentage of 65+ population fully vaccinated: 74.6%
• Percentage of 65+ population w/ at least one dose: 85.8%
• Cumulative COVID cases per 100k: 9,960
• Cumulative COVID deaths per 100k: 178
For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on Sidecar Health’s website: sidecarhealth.com/articles/states-with-the-highest-covid-19-vaccination-rates-heading-into-summer
Haz clic para leer en Español: El 38,7% de los residentes de Florida están completamente vacunados
