Coronavirus: Half of U.S. adults fully vaccinated, CDC data shows

Half of America’s adults have so far been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to numbers released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after they’ve received their final COVID-19 vaccine doses, according to the CDC. As of Tuesday morning, 129 million people age 18 and older fell in that category, data from the agency shows.

The milestone comes as officials continue to urge more Americans to get vaccinated, with some states offering prizes and incentives to people who get their shots.

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In all, 131 million people of all ages were fully vaccinated nationwide as of Tuesday morning, amounting to 39.5% of the population. Nearly 50% of the population -- 164.3 million people -- have gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, according to the CDC.

On Friday, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky credited the rising number of vaccinations nationwide for a steady decrease in new cases reported in recent weeks.

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“When we look across the country, our areas of high or moderate burden … are shrinking, and areas with low burden of disease … are markedly increasing,” she said. “These data are telling us a story: As more and more people roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated, the number of cases and the level of community risk is decreasing.”

As of Tuesday, about 33.1 million COVID-19 cases have been reported across the country, resulting in more than 590,000 deaths, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. Globally, 167.4 million COVID-19 cases have been reported, resulting in 3.4 million deaths.

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