Half of all US adults are 'fully vaccinated,' CDC data says

As of May 25, 50% of people in the US age 18 and older are "fully vaccinated" against COVID-19, according to data posted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC data also shows that nearly 62% of adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine, and CNN reports that 25 states, plus Washington, DC, have reached the 50% mark for fully vaccinated adults.

The CDC notes that the data in its COVID Data Tracker "counts people as being 'fully vaccinated' if they've received two doses on different days" of the two-shot Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or a single dose of Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine.

It's important to point out that the agency also says you need to wait for two weeks after your final dose to be fully protected. The CDC stresses, too, that people with health conditions or who are taking immunity-weakening medications may not be fully protected at that point and should consult their doctor.

The data tracker definition of fully vaccinated "is when the final dose of a vaccine is administered, not the day an individual hits the two-week mark after getting their final dose of a vaccine," the CDC said in a statement.

The 50% milestone came on the same day Moderna announced its vaccine is effective in children 12 and up and that it expects to apply for emergency use approval from the Food and Drug Administration in June. Pfizer's vaccine is approved and recommended by the CDC for use in kids as young as 12. 

The halfway mark also comes about two weeks after the CDC released new mask guidance for vaccinated people, prompting many states and cities to ease COVID-19 restrictions.