Seattle is first major US city to see 70 percent of residents fully vaccinated, mayor says

Seattle is the first major U.S. city to fully vaccinate 70 percent of its residents against COVID-19, the city’s mayor said Wednesday.

Mayor Jenny Durkan (D) said in a statement that the city passed San Francisco, which was leading the country in vaccinations.

Sixty-nine percent of San Francisco residents over age 12 have been fully vaccinated, according to data from the city.

Durkan also said San Jose passed the state of Vermont, which is leading all states in vaccination rates.

Durkan said that 78 percent of Seattle’s population age 12 and older has gotten at least one shot, which is also one of the highest rates in the nation.

The city has administered more than 249,000 vaccines, amounting to 131,000 individuals.

Speaking at a news conference, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) congratulated the city and its leaders for doing “everything they can to make” vaccines accessible throughout the city.

“They’ve been very creative, getting to people who might not normally have good access to health care,” Inslee said.

Inslee said that the state is close to being able to begin fully reopening by June 30 if at least 70 percent of the population receives at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

The governor said that 66.4 percent of the state’s population age 16 and over has received at least one vaccine dose.

Seattle’s milestone comes as the Biden administration seeks to have 70 percent of the U.S. adult population get at least one dose of a vaccine by July 4 amid a slowing vaccination pace.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 63.9 percent of adults have had at least one vaccine dose.