Half of all adults in the United States are now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus as of Tuesday, marking another milestone in the country’s pandemic recovery.
All told, nearly 159 million people in the U.S. who are 18 years or older have been administered at least one dose, and more than 129 million are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
President Joe Biden set a goal earlier this month of getting 70% of adults to receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the July Fourth holiday.
The goal is expected to be achieved, with the number standing at 61% more than a month out.
Still, the pace of vaccinations varies across the country, with the Northeast and West Coast among the regions with the highest numbers of those vaccinated while the South has moved more slowly.
Three vaccines are in use in the U.S.: the two manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, which are administered in two doses, as well as the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
This month U.S. authorities extended the authorization of Pfizer/BioNTech’s shot to children as young as 12.
Moderna on Tuesday said that by early June it would request that its coronavirus vaccine be granted approval for use in people aged 12 and up in the U.S.
“We are encouraged that mRNA-1273 was highly effective at preventing COVID-19 in adolescents. It is particularly exciting to see that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine can prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection,” said Stephane Bancel, Moderna’s chief executive.
Moderna presented results of a study in which 3,700 people aged between 12 and 17 received the vaccine.
No one who was fully vaccinated proceeded to develop COVID-19, and no problems were reported. However, the results are still being reviewed and have not yet been published in a medical journal.
