100 million Americans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, White House says

The United States has reached a significant milestone in the pandemic, according to the White House.

White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said during a briefing on Friday that 100 million Americans have now been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, "nearly double" the 55 million Americans who had been fully vaccinated as of the end of March. He later clarified this is the number of Americans who have received both doses of a two-dose vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine. A person is fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving this dose, according to the CDC.

"That's 100 million Americans with a sense of relief and peace of mind, knowing that after a long and hard year, they're protected from the virus," Zients said.

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This comes after the CDC updated its guidelines earlier this week to say that those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 generally no longer need to wear masks outside except when in crowded settings. The 100 million milestone, Zients said, "represents significant progress and cause for hope." Brendan Morrow