13 states and Guam have surpassed the 70% coronavirus vaccination target; South Dakota lags behind in weekly news shots – Dakota Free Press
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Back around the New Years, I included in my 2021 Top Ten Stories my wish for South Dakota to lead the country in terms of coronavirus vaccination rates and reach 90% in time for the fireworks of the 4th July.
Alas, our beautiful state apparently lacks the patriotic fervor of many others to reopen the country through science and public health accountability. According to the CDC’s latest Community Profile report, 62.7% of adults in South Dakota have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, but that puts us in the middle of state / territory vaccination rates, between Iowa (62.4%) and Nebrasja (62.8%) and behind Minnesota (68.3%). Fourteen states and territories are ahead of us to meet President Biden’s seemingly modest goal of 70% by July 4:
- Vermont: 83.1%
- Hawaii: 81.5%
- Massachusetts: 80.2%
- Connecticut: 76.8%
- Maine: 75.8%
- New-Jersey: 75.6%
- Rhode Island: 73.5%
- Pennsylvania: 72.8%
- New Mexico: 72.2%
- New Hampshire: 71.5%
- Maryland: 71.5%
- California: 71.4%
- Guam: 71.1%
- Washington: 70.9%
Each of those vaccine-leading states voted for Biden in 2020. (Guam would, too, if they could!)
In the week of June 4-10, 30 states and territories successfully immunized more than 2% of their population. Guam and Massachusetts have vaccinated over 4% of their populations. South Dakota has administered coronavirus vaccines to just 1.2% more of our population, the seventh lowest current vaccination rate out of 50 states and six territories. (North Dakota was the slowest-dosing state last week, putting Fauci juice in just 0.76% more of its arms; American Samoa underperformed our northern neighbors with a rate of new doses of 0.63%.)
To meet President Biden’s goal, we will need to increase our weekly percentage of newly vaccinated adults to 2.4%. To achieve my 90% wish, we would need to see 9.1% of our adult population switch to Hy-Vee and roll up their sleeves every week through 4.
We can still catch up! Maybe the governor could start distributing fireworks at vaccination sites….
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