Half of all eligible Americans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19

• Half of Americans 12 years old and older are fully vaccinated against the virus, CDC data shows.
• The US hit the benchmark just weeks after data showed half of adults over 18 were fully vaccinated.
• Drug companies Pfizer and Moderna hope to open the vaccine to younger children in the fall.

At least half of Americans eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC's vaccine tracker shows that 50.1% of the US population 12 years old and older has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, translating to more than 140 million people.

The benchmark comes weeks after data showed half of all adults in the US were fully vaccinated.

President Joe Biden's goal is for 70% of Americans to be at least partially vaccinated by July 4, but the Associated Press reported on Tuesday that the nation is unlikely to reach that milestone. While the US peaked at 2 million daily doses delivered in April, that daily pace has slowed to about 400,000, according to the AP.

The vaccination percentage varies greatly by state and county, too. More people on the coasts and in big cities have gotten their shots while much of the South and lower Midwest have lagged behind.

Drug companies Pfizer and Moderna said on Tuesday that they hope the COVID-19 vaccine will be available for children as young as 6 months old by fall 2021.