The percentage of Canadians who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 has for the first time surpassed the United States.
As of the afternoon of July 17, Canada had vaccinated 48.64 per cent of the population with two doses, according to COVID Tracker Canada. By comparison, 48.4 per cent of the American population were fully vaccinated, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported.
This comes less than two months after Canada eclipsed its southern neighbour in terms of single-dose coverage.
The vaccination gap between the two countries started slowly narrowing as Canada began ramping up its distribution in May. The supply of doses is now on the verge of outstripping demand, according to government officials.
Meanwhile, cases of COVID-19 have tripled over the past three weeks in the U.S., and hospitalizations and deaths are rising among unvaccinated people.