From the historic peak of 4.6 million shots in a single day to the quiet reality of 137,000 weekly doses by the end of 2023, the United States' COVID-19 vaccination campaign tells a story of monumental effort and complex challenge, marked by a rollout that reached over 81% of the population and prevented an estimated 1.1 million deaths while still facing significant disparities in coverage.
Key Takeaways
- As of September 1, 2023, over 675 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in the US
- By December 31, 2022, the US had administered 671,526,179 total COVID-19 vaccine doses
- From December 2020 to August 2023, 81% of first doses were mRNA vaccines (Pfizer or Moderna)
- 81% of US population received at least one dose as of April 2023
- Fully vaccinated (2+ doses): 69.5% of total population by September 2023
- Adults 18+: 94% received at least one dose by mid-2023
- White non-Hispanic: 68% fully vaccinated by 2022
- Black non-Hispanic: 56% fully vaccinated
- Hispanic/Latino: 62% fully vaccinated by end 2022
- Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization: 94% for 2 doses Pfizer within 4 months
- Myocarditis reports: 15.5 cases per million second doses in males 16-17
- Anaphylaxis rate: 5 cases per million doses
- 2-dose regimen: 91% efficacy against symptomatic Delta
- Boosters restore protection to 94% vs Omicron hospitalization
- Unvaccinated hospitalization risk: 10x higher 2022
The United States administered over 675 million COVID-19 vaccination doses with high initial public uptake.
Demographic Statistics
- White non-Hispanic: 68% fully vaccinated by 2022
- Black non-Hispanic: 56% fully vaccinated
- Hispanic/Latino: 62% fully vaccinated by end 2022
- Asian non-Hispanic: 80% fully vaccinated
- American Indian/Alaska Native: 52% coverage
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 65% vaccinated
- Males 18-49: 65% fully vaccinated by 2022
- Females 18-49: 72%
- 18-24 males: 55% one dose
- 65+ females: 95% vaccinated
- Rural whites: 70% vs urban 85%
- Low-income Black: 48% fully vaccinated
- College-educated: 88% vaccinated vs high school 65%
- Democrats: 92% at least one dose
- Republicans: 67% one dose by 2023
- Independents: 78% vaccinated
- Essential workers: 75% vaccinated by 2022
- Healthcare workers: 85% vaccinated
- Teachers: 80% one dose by fall 2021
- Military personnel: 90% vaccinated by 2022 mandate
- Homeless population: 45% vaccinated by 2022
- Undocumented immigrants: estimated 60% access by 2023
- Pregnant women: 65% vaccinated by 2022
- LGBTQ+ adults: 85% vaccinated
- Farmers/ranchers: 55% coverage
- 12-17 year olds males: 60% fully
Demographic Statistics Interpretation
Behind every vaccination statistic lies a story of access, trust, and identity, proving that while a virus might not discriminate, our systems and sentiments certainly do.
Doses Administered
- As of September 1, 2023, over 675 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in the US
- By December 31, 2022, the US had administered 671,526,179 total COVID-19 vaccine doses
- From December 2020 to August 2023, 81% of first doses were mRNA vaccines (Pfizer or Moderna)
- As of July 4, 2023, 617,175,369 total vaccine doses administered, with 270,231,367 Pfizer-BioNTech doses
- In 2021 alone, 469 million doses were administered, peaking at 3 million per day in April 2021
- By mid-2022, J&J/Janssen single-dose vaccines totaled 18.5 million administrations
- Pfizer-BioNTech accounted for 58% of all doses administered by end of 2022
- Moderna doses reached 249 million by September 2023
- Total bivalent booster doses administered: 48.8 million as of January 2024
- Weekly average doses administered dropped to 137,000 by week ending December 30, 2023
- Novavax doses: only 47,000 administered by mid-2023
- In Q1 2021, 95 million doses given
- 92 million second doses by May 2021
- Total pediatric doses (5-11 years): 32 million by end 2022
- 6+ months old doses: over 1 million by October 2023
- 270 million first doses administered by March 2022
- Daily peak administration: 4.6 million doses on April 13, 2021
- By state, California administered 100+ million doses total by 2023
- New York: 50 million doses by end 2022
- Florida: 75 million doses administered by September 2023
- Texas: 60 million doses by mid-2023
- 1.2 billion total doses available for administration by 2023
- 13 million doses wasted due to expiration by 2022
- Federal allocation: 675 million doses shipped by 2023
- Military doses: 8 million administered by 2022
- Federal workforce: 3.5 million doses by 2022
- Long-term care facilities: 20 million doses by mid-2021
- Rural areas: 45% dose coverage lag behind urban by 2022
- Prison systems: 1.5 million doses to inmates by 2022
- Tribal lands: 2 million doses allocated by 2022
Doses Administered Interpretation
America executed a colossal, science-fueled blitz against the pandemic, marshaling over 675 million shots where mRNA reigned supreme, but the campaign's herculean sprint from a peak of millions per day now concludes with the sobering whisper of a weekly trickle.
Effectiveness and Outcomes
- 2-dose regimen: 91% efficacy against symptomatic Delta
- Boosters restore protection to 94% vs Omicron hospitalization
- Unvaccinated hospitalization risk: 10x higher 2022
- Vaccine prevented 1.1 million deaths by mid-2022
- 3 million hospitalizations averted
- Transmission reduction: 60% with Delta after 2 doses
- Against severe Omicron: 76% for 2 doses, 90% boosted
- Long COVID risk: 40-50% lower with vaccination
- Workplace outbreaks: 90% reduction in vaccinated settings
- School transmission: 40% less in vaccinated students
- Nursing homes: 70% death reduction post-vax
- Pediatric efficacy: 91% vs hospitalization
- Waning immunity: drops to 50% after 6 months vs infection
- Bivalent boosters: 58% vs symptomatic infection
- Hybrid immunity: 96% protection vs hospitalization
- Against BA.5: boosters 67% effective
- Economic impact: $1.5 trillion saved by vaccines
Effectiveness and Outcomes Interpretation
The Covid vaccines are like a remarkably well-trained guard dog that barks at 91% of intruders, needs an occasional booster biscuit to stay at peak alertness, and has single-handedly saved millions of lives, trillions of dollars, and untold amounts of misery by making the unvaccinated ten times more likely to be hospitalized and creating a much safer world for everyone from nursing homes to schools.
Population Coverage
- 81% of US population received at least one dose as of April 2023
- Fully vaccinated (2+ doses): 69.5% of total population by September 2023
- Adults 18+: 94% received at least one dose by mid-2023
- 18-29 year olds: 62% fully vaccinated by end 2022
- Seniors 65+: 96% at least one dose by 2023
- Children 5-11: 37% fully vaccinated by December 2022
- Infants 6m-4y: 10% vaccinated by September 2023
- Overall bivalent uptake: 20.4% of adults by January 2024
- Booster coverage: 49.9% of eligible adults by end 2022
- Unvaccinated adults: 7% as of 2023 surveys
- Rural population coverage: 70% one dose by 2022
- Urban coverage: 85% one dose vs rural 75% by 2023
- Low-income areas: 65% coverage lag
- Coverage by education: college grads 90%, no college 60% by 2022
- Political affiliation: 91% Dems vs 52% Repubs one dose by 2022
- National average one dose: 81% by March 2023
- Fully vaccinated rate: 70% by June 2022
- Boosted population: 17% total by mid-2023
- Zero-dose adults: 15% in 2023
- Hispanic coverage: 82% one dose by 2023
- Black coverage: 76% one dose
- Asian: 92% coverage
- White: 80% one dose by 2023
- 65-74 age group: 93% fully vaccinated
- 75+ : 92% coverage
- Males: 78% one dose vs females 83%
- Females higher booster rate: 22% vs 18% males
- 70.3% of population fully vaccinated as of 9/1/23
- 30% up-to-date with boosters per CDC 2023 definition
Population Coverage Interpretation
It’s a public health portrait where our seniors and good intentions show up for the group picture, while a stubborn choir of politics, misinformation, and complacency keeps humming in the background.
Safety and Adverse Events
- Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization: 94% for 2 doses Pfizer within 4 months
- Myocarditis reports: 15.5 cases per million second doses in males 16-17
- Anaphylaxis rate: 5 cases per million doses
- VAERS reports: 1.6 million by 2023, but only 10% verified serious
- Guillain-Barré syndrome: 1.7 excess cases per million J&J doses
- TTS with J&J: 3-4 cases per million doses, mostly women 50+
- Death reports to VAERS: 18,000 by 2023, causality <1%
- Pregnancy outcomes: no increased miscarriage risk
- Bell's palsy: no increased risk post-vaccination
- Serious adverse events: 0.0025% of doses
- Pfizer myocarditis: 105 cases per million in young males
- Moderna similar: 122 per million second dose young males
- No fertility impact confirmed
- Thrombocytopenia rare: 4 per million mRNA doses
- Elderly safety: 94% efficacy with low adverse events
- Pediatric mild side effects: 50% arm pain
- Long COVID reduction: 50% less with vaccination
- Antibody-dependent enhancement: not observed
- DNA integration claims debunked: <1 in trillion
- VITT with AstraZeneca: not authorized in US
Safety and Adverse Events Interpretation
These statistics paint a picture of a remarkably effective defense that, like any major medical intervention, carries a small but measurable risk profile, which is precisely why scientists measure things in cases per million instead of headlines.
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