COLUMBUS, Ind. — One in 10 Bartholomew County residents have now received at least one COVID-19 shot, mirroring similar vaccination rates seen across the state and country.
As of Tuesday, 9,105 people in Bartholomew County had received their first of two COVID-19 shots, or roughly 10.9% of the county’s population, according to the latest figures from the Indiana State Department of Health.
In addition, 2,604 local residents had received their second dose and were considered fully vaccinated, or about 3.1% of the county’s population.
The county eclipsed the 10% mark at the end of the day Friday, just over seven weeks since vaccinations started, state figures show.
Statewide, 10.7% of Hoosiers had received their first dose as of Tuesday, while 3.6% had received their second dose.
Similar percentages of residents of surrounding counties have been vaccinated so far, including Jackson County, where about 11.6% of the population has received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and Jennings County, where 9.7% of the population has gotten their first shot.
The updated figures from state health officials came as the drive to vaccinate Americans against the coronavirus is gaining speed and newly recorded cases have fallen to their lowest level in three months, The Associated Press reported.
More than 4 million more vaccinations were reported over the weekend, a significantly faster clip than in previous days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nearly one in 10 Americans have now received at least one shot. But just 2.9% of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated, a long way from the 70% or more that experts say must be inoculated to conquer the outbreak, according to wire reports.
Newly confirmed infections have declined to an average of 117,000 a day, the lowest point since early November. That is a steep drop from the peak of nearly 250,000 a day in early January.
The number of Americans in the hospital with COVID-19 has also fallen sharply to about 81,000, down from more than 130,000 last month, according to wire reports.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
