Vaccination rates rise, restrictions ease

With 70% of adults in New York having received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said June 15 the state was ready to “return to life as we know it.”

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier signed an executive order that lifted most of the state’s coronavirus rules as of June 15. 

The loosening of restrictions in those states, plus most others, should be good news for restaurants, as nearly all restrictions on businesses and social gatherings have been eliminated. 

As of 6 a.m. EDT June 28, a total of 153,776,118 Americans had been fully vaccinated, or 46.3 percent of the country’s population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here is a list of the top 20 states, as of June 28, with the highest percentage of its population fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

1. Vermont: 65.22%
2. Massachusetts: 61.39%
3. Maine: 60.7%
4. Connecticut: 60.48%
5. Rhode Island: 58.71%
6. Maryland: 55.76%
7. New Hampshire: 55.55%
8. New Jersey: 54.89%
9. Washington: 54.3%
10. New York: 53.75%
11. New Mexico: 53.65%
12. Oregon: 52.61%
13. District of Columbia: 52.03%
14. Hawaii: 51.65%
15. Virginia: 51.6%
16. Colorado: 51.55%
17. Minnesota: 51.27%
18. Delaware: 49.86%
19. California: 49.56%
20. Pennsylvania: 49.4%