Special Report

This is How Many COVID-19 Vaccines South Dakota Has Received So Far

Evan Comen

Published: February 25, 2021 5:45 am

It has now been 10 weeks since the first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine were sent out to states, kicking off the largest vaccination campaign in human history. As of Feb. 23, the U.S. has sent 82,114,370 doses of the vaccine across the country — equivalent to 25.1% of the U.S. population.

While the distribution of the vaccine is taking longer than initial federal projections had indicated, some states are faring far better than others. Under the current system, named Operation Warp Speed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sends states limited shipments of the vaccine as well as funding and tasks them with distributing the vaccine in accordance with relatively loose federal guidelines. The initial distribution of the vaccine is based on the size of the adult population in every state, which — according to some experts — can create inequities in states where the spread of COVID-19 is worse and a larger share of the population is at risk.

South Dakota has received a total of 278,670 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Feb. 23. Adjusted for population, South Dakota has received 31,586.8 vaccines per 100,000 residents — more than the national average of 25,098.6 vaccines per 100,000 Americans and the 3rd most of any state.

While South Dakota has so far received more vaccines per capita than the nation as a whole, the state has a greater need for vaccines than the rest of the country. As of Feb. 23, there were 11,241.3 confirmed cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents in South Dakota — greater than the national rate of 8,521.2 cases per 100,000 Americans and the sixth highest of all 50 states.

While the federal government distributes vaccines to states, it is up to state governments to administer the vaccine — creating variations in both the percentage of vaccines that have been administered and the percentage of the population that has been vaccinated. In South Dakota, 85.1% of allocated vaccines have been administered to residents, greater than the national average of 79.2% and the 12th largest share of all states.

The administered vaccines amount to 26.9% of the state population, greater than the 19.9% national figure and the third largest share of all states.

While a majority of Americans remain unvaccinated due to a lack of supply, there are some who have no plans to receive a vaccine at all. According to a survey from the U.S. Census Bureau, 22.7% of U.S. adults 18 and over who have not yet received the vaccine will either probably not or definitely not get a COVID-19 vaccine in the future. In South Dakota, 28.8% of adults who have not yet received the vaccine report that they will probably not or definitely not get a vaccine in the future, the 17th largest share of any state. The most common reason cited for not wanting a vaccine was being concerned about possible side effects. Other commonly cited reasons include that they were planning to wait and see if it is safe, that other people need it more right now, and not trusting the government.

To determine the states getting the most and least vaccines from the federal government, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. States were ranked based on the number of vaccines administered as of Feb. 23 per 100,000 residents. Vaccine counts were adjusted for population using one-year data from the Census Bureau’s 2018 American Community Survey. Data on confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Feb. 23 came from various state and local health departments and were adjusted for population using 2018 ACS data. Data on the percentage of adults who probably will not or definitely will not get a COVID-19 vaccine and their reasons for not getting one came from the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, conducted from Feb. 3, 2021 to Feb. 15, 2021.

These are all the counties in South Dakota where COVID-19 is slowing (and where it’s still getting worse).