COVID Vaccinations Are Lowest in These Five States

As the U.S. COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues, several southern states are among those that have administered the fewest number of vaccinations in the country so far. Over 70 percent of COVID vaccine doses remain unused across the U.S.

Here we take a closer look at five states where the number of residents per 100,000 people who received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine are the lowest in the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

All vaccine data below reflects the latest reported figures as of Monday 9 a.m. local time, according to the CDC. The numbers for doses distributed and people who received their first dose (those initiating vaccination) include totals for both the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines.

Doses distributed represent the count recorded as shipped in the CDC's Vaccine Tracking System (VTrckS) since December 13, 2020.

The number of people initiating vaccination represents the count of doses administered "as reported to the CDC by state, territorial, and local public health agencies and four federal entities (Bureau of Prisons, Department of Defense, Indian Health Service, and Veterans Health Administration) since December 14, 2020," the CDC notes.

All state population data below is from the U.S. Census Bureau.

States where COVID vaccinations are lowest

Kansas

• Number of people per 100,000 who received first vaccine dose: 690
• Total who have received first vaccine dose: 20,110
• Total vaccine doses distributed in the state: 131,750
• Total population: 2,913,314

In the past seven days, Kansas reported the country's highest number of COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 and the fifth-highest count of average daily cases per 100,000 people, according to the CDC.

The state's seven-day average of cases has been rising sharply from late December, after declining from late November, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

Georgia

• Number of people per 100,000 who received first vaccine dose: 708
• Total who have received first vaccine dose: 75,157
• Total vaccine doses distributed in the state: 483,650
• Total population: 10,617,423

While the average case count in Georgia statistically declined in a recent two-week period from December 22 to January 4, the figure has been rising sharply since early November, peaking at 8,546 on New Year's Day, according to JHU.

Mississippi

• Number of people per 100,000 who received first vaccine dose: 733
• Total who have received first vaccine dose: 21,814
• Total vaccine doses distributed in the state: 84,250
• Total population: 2,976,149

The average case count in Mississippi has been climbing sharply since mid-September, peaking at 2,274 on January 2, according to JHU.

Alabama

• Number of people per 100,000 who received first vaccine dose: 807
• Total who have received first vaccine dose: 39,564
• Total vaccine doses distributed in the state: 159,325
• Total population: 4,903,185

While the average case tally in Alabama statistically declined in the latest two-week period from December 22 to January, the figure has been rising on a sharp incline since early October, peaking at 4,133 on December 20, according to JHU.

Arizona

• Number of people per 100,000 who received first vaccine dose: 908
• Total who have received first vaccine dose: 66,059
• Total vaccine doses distributed in the state: 411,025
• Total population: 7,278,717

Arizona recorded the country's highest number of average daily cases per 100,000 people in the past week, according to the CDC.

The state's average case tally has been rising sharply since late October, hitting a record high of 10,334 on Monday, according to JHU.

Vaccination reporting delays

The CDC explains: "A large difference between the number of doses distributed and the number of people initiating vaccination is expected at this point in the COVID vaccination program due to several factors, including delays in reporting of administered doses and management of available vaccine stocks by jurisdictions and federal pharmacy partners.

"Healthcare providers report doses to federal, state, territorial, and local agencies up to 72 hours after administration. There may be additional lag for data to be transmitted from the federal, state, territorial, or local agency to CDC," the government health body notes.

The wider picture

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 85.8 million people, including just over 20.8 million in the U.S., since it was first reported in Wuhan, China.

More than 1.8 million people have died worldwide and more than 48.2 million have recovered as of Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The graphic below, provided by Statista, shows countries with the highest rate of COVID-19 vaccination.

The graphic below, provided by Statista, shows the percentage of adult Americans who would or would not get a COVID-19 vaccine.