Half of US population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19: White House

Cities including New York and Los Angeles are imposing new restrictions, such as demanding proof of vaccination for entering indoor venues including restaurants and gyms.

A senior at Jackson State University and defensive lineman with the school's football team, receives his COVID-19 vaccination. (File photo| AP) 

WASHINGTON: Half of the US population is now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the White House said on Friday, as inoculations rise in response to the surging Delta variant of the coronavirus. "50 per cent of Americans (all ages) are now fully vaccinated. Keep going!" Cyrus Shahpar, the White House's COVID-19 data director, tweeted.

That means more than 165 million people have received either the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or the one-and-done Johnson & Johnson shot. The threshold of half of all adult Americans fully vaccinated was reached in late May.

Friday just in: +821K doses reported administered, including 565K newly vaccinated. 7-day average of newly vaccinated is up 11% from last week and 44% over past 2 weeks. 50% of Americans (all ages) are now fully vaccinated. Keep going!