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Will The U.S. Meet Its July 4 Vaccination Goal? Your State May Already Have

Will The U.S. Meet Its July 4 Vaccination Goal? Your State May Already Have

The Statue of Liberty (L) and the New York skyline are seen as fireworks go off in New York Harbor in celebration of reaching 70 percent of New York adults having received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on June 15, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Last month, President Biden laid out an ambitious goal: to get 70% of adults in the U.S. at least one vaccine dose by July 4. With less than three weeks to go, that goal may too ambitious, Harvard epidemiologist Bill Hanage tells NPR, and some states may see localized outbreaks this year.

Still — nearly two dozen states have already exceeded the 70% threshold. Many are clustered in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, while states with the lowest rates are largely in the South and Southwest. But there is one exception: New Mexico — where some counties report vaccination rates as high as 90%. NPR's Kirk Siegler explains why.

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