The U.S. passed another milestone in its covid-19 vaccination effort Sunday after administering its 300 millionth dose.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that 301,638,578 shots had been given. The country now has fully vaccinated 41.9% of the population and 51.5% has received at least one dose.
Worldwide, more than 2 billion doses have been administered, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
The numbers are expected to improve as more and more states reopen at the start of summer. Americans over the age of 12 can already receive the Pfizer vaccine and those over 16 can take the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Two more vaccines could also be approved this summer.
According to the CDC, the U.S. recorded only 12,780 new cases on June 5, a sharp decline from when the country recorded more than five times that number on April 1. However, the rate of vaccinations has also declined as areas have reported increasing levels of vaccine hesitancy, despite public advertising campaigns touting the vaccines’ safety.
Despite encouraging signs that the U.S. continues to turn a corner in recovering from the pandemic, the country has reported about 600,000 deaths and more than 33 million cases.
