COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Adults - United States, December 14, 2020-May 22, 2021

Abstract

The U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program launched on December 14, 2020. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended prioritizing COVID-19 vaccination for specific groups of the U.S. population who were at highest risk for COVID-19 hospitalization and death, including adults aged ≥75 years*; implementation varied by state, and eligibility was gradually expanded to persons aged ≥65 years beginning in January 2021. By April 19, 2021, eligibility was expanded to all adults aged ≥18 years nationwide.^† To assess patterns of COVID-19 vaccination coverage among U.S. adults, CDC analyzed data submitted on vaccinations administered during December 14, 2020-May 22, 2021, by age, sex, and community-level characteristics. By May 22, 2021, 57.0% of persons aged ≥18 years had received ≥1 COVID-19 vaccine dose; coverage was highest among persons aged ≥65 years (80.0%) and lowest among persons aged 18-29 years (38.3%). During the week beginning February 7, 2021, vaccination initiation among adults aged ≥65 years peaked at 8.2%, whereas weekly initiation among other age groups peaked later and at lower levels. During April 19-May 22, 2021, the period following expanded eligibility to all adults, weekly initiation remained <4.0% and decreased for all age groups, including persons aged 18-29 years (3.6% to 1.9%) and 30-49 years (3.5% to 1.7%); based on the current rate of weekly initiation (as of May 22), younger persons will not reach the same levels of coverage as older persons by the end of August. Across all age groups, coverage (≥1 dose) was lower among men compared with women, except among adults aged ≥65 years, and lower among persons living in counties that were less urban, had higher social vulnerabilities, or had higher percentages of social determinants of poor health. Continued efforts to improve vaccination confidence and alleviate barriers to vaccination initiation, especially among adults aged 18-49 years, could improve vaccination coverage.

FIGURE 1

Trends in COVID-19 vaccination cumulative coverage and weekly initiation among adults, by epidemiologic week and age group — United States, December 14, 2020–May 22, 2021 * Coverage includes persons who received at least 1 dose of any Food and Drug Administration–authorized COVID-19 vaccine (≥1 dose; Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Janssen [Johnson & Johnson]). ^† An epidemiologic week is based on the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System guidance and is assigned by the reporting local or state health department for the purposes of MMWR disease incidence reporting and publishing. The first day of any MMWR week is Sunday. https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nndss/document/MMWR_Week_overview.pdf

FIGURE 2

COVID-19 vaccination second dose completion among adults who received ≥1 COVID-19 dose and had sufficient time to receive the second dose, by age group — United States, December 14, 2020–May 22, 2021 * Analysis for second dose completion was restricted to persons who had received their first dose of a 2-dose vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) during December 14, 2020–March 31, 2021. All persons included in the analysis for second dose completion were ≥42 days past their first dose. ^† Excludes residents of Texas because Texas does not report information for age-specific dose number to CDC.