200 Million Americans Are Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 in 2021

In light of the latest Omicron fiasco, the modern world has redoubled its effort to vaccinate as many people as possible. The United States hit a major milestone recently: right now, over 200 million Americans^[1] are currently protected against COVID-19 with a full vaccination.

This is huge for American public health – the United States has struggled to keep up with many other nations in this regard, dozens of which have been able to administer vaccines to the majority of their citizens much more efficiently. Finally, something to celebrate.

Coronavirus Statistics: Where Do Americans Stand?

Some claim that the colder winter months are to blame for this new surge. Others blame the Omicron variation entirely. The facts aren’t entirely clear at the moment; Lawrence Gostin, a World Health Organization public health and human rights specialist, eloquently frames our current predicament in the following quote^[2]:

“You can clear a forest of the shrubbery, but if you leave some shrubs and trees standing, the fire will find them. [Like a forest fire], this virus will find you. It is searching for hosts that are not yet immune.”

Perhaps the Omicron scare is what’s driving record-breaking numbers of Americans to complete their own courses of treatment. 200 million Americans is a huge milestone. Will it be enough to protect us all long-term?

The Fight Against Omicron: An Uphill Battle?

Much of what you’ll see in the news about the Omicron variant is absolutely terrifying, especially if you dive back into when the variant was first detected in South Africa. 

The general consensus appears to be that the Omicron variant is best described as being more contagious than the previous Delta variant and those that came before, not deadlier, but this claim isn’t entirely conclusive. This effect has been attributed by some to the fact that many of the first reported cases involved very young, healthy individuals, not the elderly or the infirmed.

Still, the fact that it travels fast puts more of the most vulnerable among us at risk. It’s certainly enough to have many Americans panicking and scrambling to cover themselves and their families.

The big push currently for public health officials and vaccine manufacturers: determining whether or not our current vaccine options are as effective against the Omicron variant as they were for previous strains. Some studies conducted in South Africa have shown that two vaccine doses might not be enough to cut it.

This week, in light of these developing coronavirus trends, Pfizer and BioNTech have brought new evidence forward, confirming that a third dose increases the viability of this vaccine regime significantly, especially against Omicron.

Until we have some idea of how many of these COVID cases result in serious illness or death, all that we can do is strive for herd immunity. The Omicron variant has been found all across America, reported formally in twenty states out of fifty. This new contender shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

What About the Rest of the World?

At the time of this article, 60 percent of Americans are currently fully-vaccinated and 71 percent have received their first vaccine dose at the very least. Compared to the chaos of the last two years, these numbers are stellar, but they’re far from the highest that you’ll find internationally.

The western world is certainly not the reigning champion when it comes to vaccinations and COVID-19-related public outreach. Some of the most dedicated COVID taskforces in the world are actually hard at work elsewhere, including in many developing countries.

Some of the most fully-vaccinated populations in the world include^[3]:

• The United Arab Emirates (90% vaccination rate, number one on the planet)
• Singapore (88% vaccination rate)
• Portugal (88% vaccination rate)
• Chile (86% vaccination rate)
• Cuba (82% vaccination rate)
• Cambodia (81% vaccination rate)
• Mainland China (80% vaccination rate)
• South Korea (80% vaccination rate)
• Spain (80% vaccination rate)
• Malaysia (80% vaccination rate)

Clearly, some of these countries have much larger populations to look after than others, but each effort on this list deserves to be commended. All for one. One for all.

200 Million Americans Have Been Vaccinated: What’s Next for Us?

The coronavirus pandemic took us from two weeks at home to a seemingly never-ending tale. While many have resigned themselves to our new normal, others have hope that, with a fully-vaccinated world, we’ll eventually be able to leave it behind us.

When all of this first caught fire, the notion of 200 million Americans committing to a full round of COVID vaccines and boosters was laughable. Now, it’s our reality. The Food and Drug Administration has officially rolled out booster shots that have been proven to be effective in reckoning with COVID Omicron. Pfizer vaccinations for children five to eleven have also been approved for public consumption.

Our latest collective accomplishment of 200 million full vaccinations is far from the end of the line, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. With Omicron covering the ground and spreading more aggressively than any of its predecessors, our time is quickly running out. 

With any luck, this newfound sense of public responsibility will compel the remaining 133 million unvaccinated Americans to their physicians or local vaccine clinics. Only time will tell when and where this journey will find its ultimate conclusion.

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