By WECT Staff | May 6, 2021 at 1:42 PM EDT – Updated May 6 at 3:20 PM
RALEIGH, N.C. (WECT) – The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services says half of adults in the state have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, with over 43 percent being fully vaccinated against the virus.
“This is as significant milestone toward our goal of stopping the spread of Covid-19 and bringing summer back to North Carolina,” said Dr. Mandy K. Cohen, secretary of the NCDHHS. “I hope you will join the more than 4 million people who have taken their shot and help put this pandemic behind us.”
To date, the state has administered more than 7.4 million vaccines. More than 74 percent of the population over 65 years of age is fully vaccinated, and nearly 40 percent of the total population of the state, regardless of age, has received at least one dose.
North Carolina remains poised to lift mandatory social distancing, capacity, and mass gathering restrictions on June 1.
Additionally, the state has set a goal of two-thirds of adults vaccinated with at least one shot in order to lift the indoor mask mandate and lighten other public health recommendations. The timeline for this benchmark depends on how quickly North Carolinians get vaccinated, health officials say.
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