How Many Americans Have Been Vaccinated for COVID-19 To Date?

by Causes | 2.12.21

This content leverages data from USAFacts, a non-profit that visualizes governmental data. You can learn more on its website, Facebook, and Twitter.

What’s the story?

• Since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first two coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines for emergency use in mid-December, over 68 million doses have been distributed across the country.
• As of February 11, 2021, at least 34,723,964 Americans (10.5% of the population) have received one or more doses of vaccine. Of them, 11,188,782 Americans (3.4% of the population) have received the two doses of vaccine needed for inoculation through the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. This USAFacts chart tracks the national vaccination progress as a percentage of the U.S. population:  

• This USAFacts chart shows the percentage of people in each state who have received one or two doses of vaccine, in addition to the percentage of vaccine doses distributed to each state relative to the population:

• Across the country, each state has received roughly enough vaccine to provide a single dose to roughly 20% of the population. A notable exception is Alaska (37.1%), which faces unique distribution challenges due to its geography.
• The states in which the most residents have received at least one dose of vaccine are Alaska (16.2%), West Virginia (12.9%), New Mexico (13%), Connecticut (12.6%), North Dakota (12.4%), and South Dakota (11.7%). Similarly, Alaska and West Virginia have each administered two doses of vaccine to 6.7% of their populations, which is the fastest proportional pace in the country.

What’s the status of the vaccine supply?

• There will likely be two more vaccines available to Americans in the near future once their clinical trials are finalized and an emergency use authorization is granted: the AstraZeneca vaccine, which requires two doses like the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines; and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which only requires one dose.
• In addition to more vaccines coming available to accelerate the pace of vaccination across the country, the national supply of vaccines will be growing in the next few months. 
• On top of the 400 million doses of vaccine ordered during the Trump administration, the Biden administration announced Thursday that it signed final contracts for an additional 200 million doses of vaccine for delivery by the end of July, which will be enough to fully vaccinate 300 million Americans.

In addition to tracking the progress of vaccine administration and distribution, you can see the eligibility criteria for vaccination in each state at USAFacts.

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / Ridofranz)