Researching and developing a COVID-19 vaccine is a momentous feat, and vaccinations have already started in multiple countries. But researching the vaccine is just one part of the battle — actually delivering and distributing it is a whole new ball game. Tracking coronavirus vaccination rates is crucial to understanding how we’re doing in terms of immunization, and when things might go back to normal.

So far, here are the countries with the most administered COVID-19 vaccines. This is counting the number of doses — not the number of vaccinated people (many vaccines require two doses to grant immunity).

It normally takes years and years of work to develop a vaccine, but thanks to unprecedented efforts, several vaccines are already rolling out with no corners cut — and even a few more quickly on the way. With vaccination campaigns already being rolled out, herd immunity doesn’t look quite as distant as it once did. It’s nice to look at a different pandemic map other than the one with surging cases.

The charts are regularly updated as part of the Our World in Datacoronavirus dashboard. At the time of this writing, the United States and China are the two countries with the most administered vaccinations. However, per capita, Israel is by far the leader so far. With many countries just now starting the vaccine rollout, this can very well change in the near future.

Vaccination rate

Since the rate of vaccination for COVID-19 can change quickly from day to day, it also helps to look at the daily vaccination rate. This is shown here as a rolling seven-day average — again, the number is the number of doses, not the number of people being vaccinated.

This following chart shows the rate of acceleration or deceleration in the rate of vaccination.

The following chart also shows the number of doses per capita.

Which vaccines are being rolled out

Scientists have embarked on an amazing race to deliver a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine, and the results have already surpassed expectations.

The first vaccine to complete Phase III trials was the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, quickly followed by the Moderna vaccine. Both are mRNA vaccines — the first vaccines of thise type ever to be developed. The AstraZeneca vaccine came quickly after. The Sputnik V vaccine was also approved for early use in Russia and Argentina, despite not completing Phase III trials.

In the very last days of the year, two vaccine candidates in China (Sinovac and CNBG) have also been approved for limited use. Several other vaccines are also in Phase III trials, such as the ones from Novavax, Johnson & Johnson, and the Vector Institute in Russia.

Country policies on vaccination

Countries also have different policies when it comes to who they vaccinate.

In the first stages, only the vulnerable groups and key workers are being vaccinated, but as the number of vaccines increases, different groups will be prioritized. The following map highlights how many groups have access to the vaccine.

Ultimately, the logistic challenge of vaccination is expected to be just as big as the development one. We’re still not sure how long the immunity lasts, and if we want to achieve some level of herd immunity, it’s crucial to vaccinate around three quarters of the population (though the actual estimates for herd immunity vary).