The United States will miss President Joe Biden's goal of vaccinating 70 percent of all adults against the coronavirus by July 4, with only sixteen states and Washington, D.C., hitting the mark.
Even so, the country has managed to drive infection rates down to levels not seen since March 2020, when the virus was concentrated in a handful of states.
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Illinois is doing better than the national average when it comes to the percentage of adults vaccinated — 70.6 percent of all adults have received at least one dose, compared to 65.6 percent in the United States.
Younger age groups tend to have lower vaccination rates. The United States hits Biden's 70 percent goal when counting adults 30 and older instead of 18 and older, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients said at a Tuesday news conference.
"We will meet the 70 percent goal for ages 27 and older by end of July 4th weekend, with a few extra weeks needed for the 18-to 26-year-olds to get vaccinated," Zients said.
Illinois ranks 15th nationwide in the percentage of adults who have received at least one dose. Vermont, Hawaii and Massachusetts are in the lead, with vaccination rates over 80 percent.
Alabama, Wyoming, Louisiana and Mississippi are among the worst-performing states, with less than half of all adults vaccinated.