Nearly Half of Mass. Fully Vaccinated Against COVID

The number of people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Massachusetts is approaching 50%, state officials said.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said late Saturday that more than 3.4 million people in the state are fully vaccinated. Massachusetts has about 7 million residents.

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The New England states have paced the nation in vaccinating residents against the virus, which has killed more than 580,000 Americans.

Massachusetts has the second highest percentage of fully vaccinated residents in the U.S. after Connecticut, and Maine is number three, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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A COVID-19 vaccination clinic was held in Vermont Thursday — at a beach.

The public health department tweeted on Saturday that it will continue to promote coronavirus vaccines in the state, as many residents still need to get a second shot.

"Be sure to get both," the agency tweeted.