In 25 States, More Than Half Of Adults Are Fully Vaccinated

In 25 states, the District of Columbia and Guam, more than half of adults are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the latest CDC data.

New England leads the U.S. in vaccination rates among adults. Maine, Connecticut and Vermont have the highest vaccination rates among adults, with more than 62% of residents age 18 and over fully vaccinated. Massachusetts and Rhode Island are close behind.

The other states and jurisdictions with more than 50% of adults fully vaccinated, in order of highest to lowest vaccination rates, are New Jersey, New Mexico, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Washington, South Dakota, Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, Virginia, Nebraska, District of Columbia, Guam, Oregon, California, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Michigan, New Hampshire and Alaska.

The states with the lowest rates of fully vaccinated adults are in the South. In Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana and Georgia, fewer than 40% of adults are fully vaccinated.

In West Virginia, which was lauded for early success in getting vaccines into people's arms, the pace has slowed. As of Sunday, 41.3% of adults in the state were fully vaccinated.

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a recent bump in the doses administered per day.

On May 13, the CDC announced it was loosening its public health guidance for fully vaccinated Americans, giving those individuals two weeks past their final dose the thumbs-up to take off their masks in most places, indoors and out. Public health experts say the move was a gamble by the CDC to inspire more people to get vaccinated.

Some states have gotten creative to get more people vaccinated.

The same day the CDC updated its mask guidance, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced weekly drawings of $1 million, open to state residents who've received at least one dose of a vaccine. The "Vax-a-Million" idea apparently worked: The state saw a 28% increase in people getting the vaccine the weekend after the drawing was announced.

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