We are close to the mid-year point of 2021 and the United States has made great progress since late last year in getting our citizens vaccinated for Covid-19. Here are some stats for the U.S. population:
- 43% are fully vaccinated.
- 52% have received at least 1 dose.
- Vermont has the most people vaccinated per capita.
- Mississippi has the lowest percentage vaccinated per capita.
To follow the vaccine’s progress, click here: https://bing.com/covid/local/unitedstates?vert=vaccineTracker
It looks like the goal of getting 70% of the population with at least one dose by July is not going to be met. The main reason for not meeting this goal is due to about 30% of us are not willing to get vaccinated. This resistance, coupled with removal of covid restrictions across the country, has slowed the drop in cases and deaths. We are even starting to see a rise in infection rates in 8 states.
The good news is that if we can get 60% of our population at 1 dose by July, we should be able to limit the spread and subsequent damage of the disease, especially the more contagious and harmful variant strains. This is because most people that don’t get vaccinated and catch the disease will survive and carry the antibodies, just like those that are vaccinated. This means that we could reach 70%+ of the population that have the covid antibodies, regardless of how they were acquired. That’s my glass-half-full way of looking at our vaccination progress so far!
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Joe Baker, CFP®
Baker Asset Management, LLC
joebaker@bakerassetmanagement.com
