Adults getting one dose of Covid vaccine hits 68.3% mark as state inches toward Biden goal

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Delaware now has  68.3% of adults with at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Delaware Division of Public Health.
 
That’s within 1.7%  of President Joe  Biden’s goal of all American adults getting at least one dose by July 4th. Based on the current rate of vaccinations, Delaware should reach that goal.
 
Data at the bottom of this post from Covid Act Now reports that 56.5% of the state’s population has received at least one shot. The vaccinations are driving down the number of new cases and hospitalizations.
 
Delaware’s total population over 18  totals around  589,000. That means 10,000 or more adults will need to be vaccinated between now and July 4.
 
The state is vaccinating about 3,500 people a day. However, that number includes young people between 12 and 17 and individuals getting their second shots.
 
Delaware and other states are encountering resistance to vaccines for reasons that range from myths driven by social media to the unproven belief that those with Covid cases are already immune.
 
About one in 10 residents in Delaware has tested positive for the virus and early studies point  to an immune response, although public health officials say it would be unwise to avoid vaccines.
 
Vaccine skepticism is widespread with individuals on both ends of the political spectrum claiming shots are dangerous.
 
Neighboring New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania have already reached the 70% figure. Sussex County has exceeded the 70 percent goal, with New Castle at or near the goal. 
 
Lagging behind is Kent County, which seems to be a center for vaccine reluctance. Kent County does have the lowest rate of new Covid-19 cases among the state’s three counties,  a possible factor in the lower vaccination figure.
 
Monday figures from the Delaware Division of Public Health showed daily positive cases moving toward a record low, with only 19 positive tests reported. Hospitalizations are slightly above the record low of 29 at 36.
 
Delaware has ramped up efforts to encourage people to get shots with promotions ranging from a lottery drawing for a $302,000 jackpot to gift cards and a serving of spaghetti with meatball. In Wilmington, Mayor Mike Purzycki has ordered that all public events come with a vaccination site.
 
The adult vaccination percentage rate comes from the CDC’s Vaccine Tracker site and differs from percentages on Delaware’s My Healthy Community site because it includes vaccinations at such locations as the VA and Dover Air Force Base, which do not report their numbers to the Division of Public Health, and Delawareans who have been vaccinated in other states.

Delaware’s latest Covid-19 vaccination statistics can be found under the Vaccine Tracker dashboard at de.gov/healthycommunity

Click here for more state data, including breakdowns by age, sex, race/ethnicity, at the statewide, county, and, in some cases, zip code or census tract level.
 

Below is a graphic from Big Local News that uses data compiled by Covid Act Now and the New York Times.  Laptop and desktop computer users can click on the headers below or maps for data on cases, fatalities, and vaccinations in Delaware and other states.

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