California ranked 24th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 29.3% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 28.2%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows.
President Joe Biden said Monday that 90% of American adults will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines by April 19, and vaccination sites would be within five miles of an individual's home.
Biden's new timeline beats his previous May 1 goal for nationwide eligibility by nearly two weeks. The remaining 10% of the population would be eligible by that time, he said.
"More vaccines, more sites, more vaccinators, all designed to speed our critical work,'' said Biden, who also announced that the federal government would distribute a record 33 million vaccine doses this week.
The Biden administration is racing against the spread of virus variants that may fuel another surge in cases, especially with states loosening restrictions that helped limit transmission but also hurt the economy.
Biden urged governors who have lifted mask mandates to reinstate them, and he warned Americans that the battle against the virus is not over and could actually reverse course, so they need to remain vigilant and adhere to safety measures.
"If we let our guard down now,'' he said, "We could see a virus getting worse, not better."
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