off in New York Harbor in celebration of reaching 70% of New York adults having received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
The Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline are seen as fireworks go off in New York Harbor in celebration of reaching 70% of New York adults having received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty ImagesLast month, President Biden laid out an ambitious goal: to get 70% of adults in the U.S. at least one vaccine dose by July 4. With less than three weeks to go, that goal may too ambitious, Harvard epidemiologist Bill Hanage tells NPR, and some states may see localized outbreaks this year.
Still — nearly two dozen states have already exceeded the 70% threshold. Many are clustered in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, while states with the lowest rates are largely in the South and Southwest. But there is one exception: New Mexico — where some counties report vaccination rates as high as 90%. NPR's Kirk Siegler explains why.
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This episode was produced by Lee Hale and Brent Baughman. It was edited by Sami Yenigun and Joe Neel with help from Wynne Davis. Our executive producer is Cara Tallo.