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'Well Done': White House COVID Adviser Praises New Hampshire, Massachusetts For High Vaccination Rate

BOSTON (CBS) -- Five New England states are getting praise from a top White House official for their coronavirus vaccination efforts. Senior adviser for COVID response Andy Slavitt tweeted Friday that eight states have now vaccinated over 60% adults with a first shot.

He said New Hampshire leads the way with more than 70% of adults vaccinated. Following the Granite State is Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Maine, New Jersey, Vermont and Hawaii.

"All of them have turned the corner on the number of cases & hospitalizations," Slavitt said. "Well done. Let's all get there."

Massachusetts was slower to expand vaccine eligibility than most, but now everyone 16 and older in the state can sign up for a shot. As of Thursday, the state had administered nearly 5.4 million vaccine doses, with nearly 2.2 million fully vaccinated.

Also as of Thursday, the seven-day weighted average of positive tests in Massachusetts is 2% and there are 645 people currently hospitalized for a coronavirus-related illness.

Gov. Charlie Baker says Massachusetts needs to vaccinate 4.1 million residents to reach herd immunity.

New Hampshire this week also opened up vaccinations to everyone 16 and up, even if they don't live in the state.

To find out more about COVID vaccinations in Massachusetts and where you can get one visit mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine

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