CDC: 30 percent of US adults fully vaccinated, nearly 50 percent have received at least one dose

Over 30 percent of U.S. adults have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Roughly 78.3 million Americans ages 18 years and older have been fully vaccinated, representing 30.3 percent of the population of that age group, according to the data.

Meanwhile, about 124.8 million adults have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, representing 48.3 percent of the adult population.

The numbers come as the U.S. looks to speed up coronavirus vaccinations in an effort to reach herd immunity.

Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told Business Insider in an interview last week that between 70 percent and 85 percent of the population needs to be vaccinated to reach herd immunity.

He said this could happen by June if the U.S. administered 3 million vaccine doses per day on average.

But a decision from the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this week to halt the use of Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose coronavirus vaccine due to reports about rare blood clots will likely slow down efforts.

Vaccinations with J&J’s vaccine will be paused while the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices gathers and examines more information on the risks. It’s unclear when the panel will meet again, though it could happen within the next week.

However, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said the pause wouldn’t have a “significant impact” on the vaccination effort due to the steady supply of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccine.

Overall, nearly 103 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine have been administered, according to CDC data. Eighty-seven million doses of Moderna’s vaccine and just under eight million doses of Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine have also been administered.