Canada Surpasses the United States in COVID-19 Vaccination Rate

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Canada's COVID-19 vaccination rate has surpassed that of the United States.

According to BBC on the 18th (local time), as of the 16th, 48.45% of Canadian citizens have been fully vaccinated, surpassing the U.S. rate of 48.05%.

U.S. President Joe Biden had declared earlier this month that he would raise the adult vaccination rate to 70%, but the goal was not achieved. Local media report that some regions and groups have strong resistance to vaccines.

Canada's vaccination rate also increased sharply since the end of March but has recently plateaued. The recent daily confirmed cases in Canada are about 300, the lowest since last summer.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently stated that with about 80% of citizens having received at least the first dose, he expects to allow free entry for U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have completed vaccination starting mid-August.

The Canadian government plans to allow entry without separate restrictions for citizens of other countries who have been vaccinated starting early September. Since March last year, Canada has mostly restricted non-essential travel by foreigners.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.