Bloomberg News maintain a worldwide vaccine tracker tool. And they update it daily.
Currently, the tool reports that nearly 575 million doses of vaccine have been administered.
And their website explains that they track the number of doses administered, not the number of people vaccinated. “We count doses because they’re the most commonly reported metric across all countries and regions. While currently approved vaccines require two doses to confer full immunity, each dose is thought to provide some level of protection”.
More, they regularly add new data and tracking methods. And that is partially due to the complexity of data collection.
Many nations regularly collect and report vaccination data. But data is not always available. Thus, Bloomberg staff may contact local health officials. And they utilize other sources, too.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains its own website reporting, too. But it lists data for the United States only.
Their journalist manually audit the data. And accuracy is a top priority for the vaccine tracker tool.
Vaccines are Key
COVID-19 is a vaccine-preventable disease. More, everyone 16 or older in the United States can now get a free vaccine regardless of their immigration or health insurance status.
Moreover, they are safe and effective. Also, while some “breakthrough cases” do occur, vaccines substantially curb the symptoms.
Additionally, here are our key health messages on vaccines:
Vaccines Protect the Person Receiving it
Vaccines help to protect us from the virus. More, you are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after completing your second dose.
Vaccine Protect Others, too
Vaccines also protect others. More, it is important to remember that some cannot receive it, including children. Also you can be infected with it but show no symptoms, but still can spread it to others.
Please get vaccinated. And encourage others, too.
Previous Infection will not Protect you
If you previously had the virus, you still would need the shot. And here is why.
First, it is unclear how long immunity lasts. We wrote a number of articles documenting reinfection. And that is because there are new strains. More, viruses mutate over time. Thus, the strains currently being spread are different from the strains from last year.
So even if you had the virus, you can potentially get it again.
Second, it protects others. Early evidence shows vaccinated individuals are less likely to spread the virus to others. And remember, not everyone is eligible to receive it.