The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has moved Delaware into the upper tier of states in the percentage of the state’s population that has received coronavirus vaccine.
The CDC’s Covid Data Tracker indicates upwards of 31 percent of Delaware’s population has received at least one dose of vaccine.
Delaware’s pace of vaccinations is running ahead of neighboring Maryland and Pennsylvania, but behind New Jersey.
Wile exceptions exist, states with lower populations typically vaccinate a larger portion of their population than their more densely populated neighbors. One heavily populated state with a high vaccination rate is New York.
Ranking first in vaccinations is Alaska. More than 40 percent of the state’s population has received at least one dose.
All states are dealing with the task of getting second doses to those who got their first vaccination.
While the CDC map no longer lists second doses with the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine joins Moderna and Pfizer, recent indications point to about 10 percent of Delaware’s population getting two doses.
Delaware is building vaccination capacity with more than 98,000 doses on hand. The state received 42,000 new Moderna and Pfizer doses this week, double the typical figures in February.
Division of Public Health Director, Dr. Karyl Rattay said it is too early to determine whether vaccinations are beginning to put a dent in the number of Covid cases and hospitalizations.
