PA Vaccination Rate Skyrocketing, 70 Percent Have 1st Dose

PENNSYLVANIA — Another pandemic milestone was reached in recent days: 70 percent of Pennsylvania adults have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The 70 percent number has been tossed about for months now, with officials pointing to it as the low end required for herd immunity. Reaching a 70 percent full vaccination rate has also been the benchmark used by Gov. Tom Wolf's administration to determine when the mask mandate will be lifted. The state is now confident that they'll reach that point around June 28, the latest date the mask mandate will be lifted, health officials said this week.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, Pennsylvanians have come together to keep themselves and their loved ones healthy and safe," Gov. Wolf said in a statement. "This selflessness is now reflected in vaccination rates throughout the commonwealth."

The state's vaccination rate compares very favorably nationwide: It ranks ninth overall in first doses administered by population.

Data updated Thursday shows the state has fully vaccinated 52.7 percent of adults in the state, or 4,589,247 individuals.

"The light is shining bright at the end of this tunnel, but we must continue to stay the course," Gov. Wolf added. "I encourage everyone to show up for their second vaccine appointment and take pride in doing your part to help protect individuals who are unable to get vaccinated.”

As the vaccination rate spikes, the presence of the virus continues to diminish.

The state's positivity rate has plummeted all the way down to 3.8 percent, according to the most recently available data, covering the week from May 21 to May 27. That's down from 4.5 percent the week previous, and more than double that last month.

Meanwhile, case numbers have also precipitously dropped, with just 4,811 new cases last week compared to 7,240 statewide the week before.

As for healthcare metrics, the 14-day moving average for daily hospitalizations due to COVID-19 is down to 1,296. It stood at a high of 6,089 in Dec. 2020. The average daily number of patients on ventilators is down from 212 to 175, while the percentage of emergency room visits due to coronavirus symptoms dropped from 0.7 percent to 0.6.

If you have not yet received the vaccine, find more information on how to sign up for your doses at the Pennsylvania Department of Health's website here.