The Low-Down: All US States On Track To Reach Covid Herd Immunity This Year

As of February 24th, the US has vaccinated between 15 and 20% of its population.

While that means it has a ways to go to achieve herd immunity - @70% - vaccine manufacturers are confident the supplies will be available to do so. JL

Kristine Liao reports in APM Research Lab:

As of Feb. 21, the U.S. has distributed a total of 75.2 million doses to its states, districts and territories. 83% of doses distributed nationwide have been administered. New Mexico, North Dakota and West Virginia lead the way, each administering 96% of their supplies. Besides Washington D.C. and Alabama, all states have administered at least 75% of their vaccine supplies. As of Feb. 21, the U.S. has administered one or more shots of the vaccine to 13% of the population.
The first light at the end of the tunnel appeared on Dec. 14, 2020. After more than nine months of devastation from the pandemic, the first COVID-19 vaccination in the United States took place that day, marking a pivotal turn in the country’s fight against the virus.
But hopes for a smooth and speedy path to mass immunization have been dampened since then. The process of distributing vaccine doses to states, and then administering those doses into people’s arms, has moved slower than expected.
As COVID-19 deaths continue to surge in 2021, the need to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible has become more urgent than ever. Here’s a look at how states have been doing in their vaccination efforts thus far, and how much more ground they need to cover in order to end this pandemic.
How quickly are doses being distributed to states?
The first step of the vaccination process is the distribution of doses to states by the federal government. The amount each state receives is determined by its population.
As of Feb. 21, the U.S. has distributed a total of 75.2 million doses to its states, districts and territories, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. Distribution was slowed dramatically by winter weather in the past week; only 5.1 million doses were distributed, less than half the amount distributed in the week prior.
This week saw the slowest distribution of vaccine doses to states since at least late January. The country is still halfway from the goal of distributing at least 140 million doses by the end of this month.
How quickly are states administering the vaccine to residents?
Once the federal government distributes the allocated supply of doses to each state, it’s up to the state to administer the vaccine to its residents. After a sluggish start, states have picked up the pace in recent weeks. As of Feb. 21, 83% of doses distributed nationwide have been administered.
New Mexico, North Dakota and West Virginia lead the way, each administering more than 96% of their respective supplies. Washington D.C. ranks last with 72% administered, following Alabama with 73% administered.
Besides Washington D.C. and Alabama, all states have administered at least 75% of their respective vaccine supplies as of Feb. 21. This marks significant progress from the previous week, when 19 states and Washington D.C. had administered less than 75% of their supplies.
How far are states from reaching a level of herd immunity?
According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease scientist, the U.S. would need to immunize between 70% and 90% of the population to reach herd immunity, thereby halting transmission of the virus.
As of Feb. 21, the U.S. has administered one or more shots of the vaccine to 13% of the population. In order to achieve the goal of reaching herd immunity by summer, the country has a lot more ground to cover.
Every state has now initiated vaccination for at least 1 in 10 of its residents. Alaska leads the way with 21% of its population receiving at least one dose of the vaccine, followed by New Mexico, South Dakota and North Dakota.
At the bottom of the list, six states—Tennessee, Utah, Texas, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi—have initiated vaccination for less than 12% of their respective populations. In many areas, including much of Texas, harsh winter weather severely hampered vaccination efforts as sites faced delays and closures.