5 Million People Are Now Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 In Massachusetts
BOSTON (CBS) -- Five million people in Massachusetts are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Gov. Charlie Baker tweeted Tuesday afternoon.
Thank you to the staff and volunteers at vaccination clinics throughout the Commonwealth who have supported vaccination efforts and administered more than 12 million vaccine doses," Baker wrote.
By being fully vaccinated, Baker means the more than five millions residents have received either doses of Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or one dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Roughly 1.6 million Massachusetts residents have also received an additional COVID vaccine booster shot.
Massachusetts is in the top 10 nationwide in vaccination rate, hovering around 73% according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Though the state is experiencing a surge of COVID cases, Baker said on Monday that the it is in better shape to prevent serious illness than it has been in the past.
Massachusetts has also begun distributing two million free rapid at-home COVID tests to the 102 hardest-hit communities. On top of that, the state is working with test manufacturers to make bulk, cheap purchasing deals available for every town.
Baker expects that program to be in place by January.
