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Massachusetts Reaches Baker's Goal Of 4.1 Million Residents Fully Vaccinated

Gov. Charlie Baker announces the end of the state of emergency on June 15. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Gov. Charlie Baker announces the end of the state of emergency on June 15. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Massachusetts has reached its goal of fully vaccinating 4.1 million residents against the coronavirus, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Tuesday.

“Today, we have hit our administration’s goal of fully vaccinating 4.1 M residents," Baker wrote on Twitter. “This is thanks to the hard work of health care workers and vaccine clinic volunteers, and to the people of MA for getting vaccinated.”

The state's population is about 6.9 million, according to the Census Bureau.

That means just under 60% of the state's residents, by that count, are fully vaccinated.

In 12 of the state's 14 counties, more than 60% of individuals have at least one dose. According to the Department of Public Health's most recent weekly vaccination report, 54% of residents have received at least one dose in Bristol County, which includes the cities of Fall River, New Bedford, and Taunton. In Hampden County, which includes the cities of Holyoke, Springfield and Westfield, 52% of residents have received at least one dose. In both Bristol and Hampden counties, less than half of individuals are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

While state leaders have long touted this goal of 4.1 million vaccinated, Baker says the goal is to get a shot to everyone who wants one.

In a previous interview with WBUR, Dr. Shira Doron -- a hospital epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center — said there is still work to be done.

"To some extent, the numbers we’re aiming for are a little bit arbitrary ... We want to get as close to 100% percent as possible," Doron said. "We really do."

Baker's announcement came on the same day the White House acknowledged that President Joe Biden will fall short of reaching his goal of vaccinating 70% of all American adults with at least one shot by the Fourth of July.

Massachusetts has been closing its mass vaccination sites in favor of smaller, more targeted vaccination clinics. There are still about 900 locations in the state to get a shot.

Baker has said that variants, including the delta variant, now pose the greatest risk to the state.

The Hynes Convention Center in Boston is ending vaccination efforts on Tuesday; the Natick Mall site is closing Wednesday; and the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston is closing on Sunday.

The mass vaccination clinic at Gillette Stadium has already closed.

With reporting by The Associated Press, State House News Service and WBUR's newsroom

This article was originally published on June 22, 2021.

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