Though nationwide vaccination rates have slowed down after an initial boom a couple months ago, The New York Times notes, they’re still steadily rising. Just over half (51.5%) of American adults are fully vaccinated against covid-19, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and nearly two-thirds (62.6%) have received at least one dose, putting the United States on track to meet Pres. Joe Biden’s stated goal of administering one shot of the vaccine to 70% of American adults by July 4.
Not coincidentally, more and more state and local governments have eased off on various restrictions imposed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, which, per the CDC, has caused 591,265 deaths in the U.S. as of Sunday. New York City and Chicago reopened their public beaches, the Associated Press reports, while New Jersey and Massachusetts dropped their mask mandates on Fridy and Saturday, respectively. Virginia loosened up on its pandemic-related capacity and social distancing rules, while Minnesota removed all restrictions on restaurants and bars. Vermont, which the AP notes has the highest vaccination rate in the country, will drop all such restrictions once 80% of its adults have received at least one vaccine dose, which is expected to happen this week.
