Half of Los Angeles County residents 16 and older are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, an encouraging milestone as the region — along with the rest of California — prepares to fully reopen in a few weeks.

“It is truly thrilling to see us reach this landmark, and I want to thank everyone who’s done their part to get us to this point,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Monday.

But in a county the size of Los Angeles, that leaves millions more people who have yet to reach that level of protection — a gap health officials are racing to close before June 15, when the state will lift coronavirus-related limitations on business capacity, as well as physical distancing requirements for attendees, customers and guests at almost all businesses and other institutions.

“At long last, we’re putting the pandemic behind us,” L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis said. “This is only made possible due to our residents’ hard work to bring down cases and hospitalizations. And it’s also due to the willingness of residents across the county to get vaccinated as quickly as possible.”

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