New York a leader in vaccines for young people among large states

Gov. Kathy Hochul cited rates of vaccination against Covid-19 to support her decision to drop the mask mandate in schools. 

She announced at a news conference on Feb. 27 that the state would lift the statewide mask mandate for children in school.

"We are No. 1 among all large states in having fully vaccinated teenagers. We are No. 2 in all large states for having fully vaccinated 5- to 11-year olds. We're just a little bit behind Illinois, so I think we can surpass this. We'd like to be No. 1 in everything we do." 

We checked to see if her claims about the vaccination rates among children in New York State, relative to other large states, are accurate.  

We reached out to Hochul’s office, and spokesperson Bryan Lesswing said the governor’s office considered the 10 most populated states in its analysis: California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan. 

Hochul’s administration looked at the number of vaccines administered by the states for each age group, using U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, and the total population in each age group to reach its conclusion. A slide deck from her presentation on the day she announced the end of the mask mandate provided a chart showing large states and rates of full vaccination among young people.   

We consulted data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which issues Covid-19 reports for each state. A report from Feb. 25 showed that 33.5% of children ages 5 to 11 and 71.2% of children ages 12 to 17 were fully vaccinated in New York State. Among large states, Illinois had a greater share of children ages 5 to 11 who were fully vaccinated, at 34.8%. Among children ages 12 to 17 in large states, New York had the largest share. 

An analysis of vaccination rates from the American Academy of Pediatrics, published on Feb. 23, showed the same results as Hochul presented. In the 10 largest states, New York has the second-highest rate of vaccination in children ages 5 to 11, after Illinois, when children who have had at least one dose of the vaccine are counted. Forty-one percent of children in this age group have had at least one dose in New York. The figure is 42% in Illinois. 

Among large states, New York has the highest percentage of children ages 12 to 17 who have received at least one dose, according to the pediatricians’ group. Eighty-two percent of students in this group have received at least one dose, edging out California, which has 81%. 

Hochul correctly characterized New York’s vaccination rates among large states in three Covid briefings during February. But she did not do so twice in local news interviews.  

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In two television interviews on Feb. 28, Hochul did not include "among large states" as a qualifier. Across the country, there are 10 states and the District of Columbia with higher rates of vaccination among children ages five to 11 who have had at least one dose, according to the analysis of CDC data from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The 10 states are: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, Virginia, Minnesota, Hawaii, and Illinois. 

For children ages 12 to 17, a larger proportion  had at least one dose in six states and the District of Columbia. The states are: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, according to the same analysis. 

Hochul said New York State ranked No. 1 one among large states in having fully vaccinated teenagers and No. 2 among large states for having fully vaccinated 5 to 11 year olds. 

Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirms Hochul’s statement. 

Hochul qualified her claim by saying "large states" in a news conference she held to announce the lifting of mask mandates in schools. This qualification is important, as New York does not lead the country in vaccinations among children and teenagers when all 50 states are considered. 

We rate this claim True.