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Prognosis

Vaccine Data Gaps Point to Millions More in U.S. Who Lack Shots

  • States revisions uncover over-counting of first doses
  • CDC revised estimate of proportion of elderly with one shot
California Imposes Statewide Indoor Mask Mandate

Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty Images

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The U.S. government has over-counted the number of Americans who are at least partly vaccinated against the coronavirus, state officials warn, meaning millions more people are unprotected as the pandemic’s winter surge gathers steam.

Last weekend, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised a bellwether metric -- the share of people 65 and older with at least one shot. The agency reduced the proportion from 99.9%, where it had been capped for weeks, to 95%, without changing its raw shot totals.