America's COVID-19 vaccine rollout is at 52.6% of the population inoculated with at least one dose and 43.9% considered fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.

However, other areas around the world are still lagging far behind. Many countries, particularly in Africa, have administered a paltry number of vaccines compared to their overall populations.

“We have a long way to go as a globe,” Dr. Suzanne Judd, an epidemiologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, said on Yahoo Finance Live (video above). “The United States — we don’t even realize how lucky we are here because we’ve had access to the vaccine early on. We basically have people turning the vaccine away. We think the whole world behaves that way, but that’s not the case.”

All American adults are now eligible for the vaccine and have three different options to choose from: Pfizer (PFE), Moderna (MRNA), and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ). Unfortunately, that’s not the case with the rest of the world. In some places, only one vaccine is available and in limited amounts.

“There are whole countries where only 1% of the population has had access to the vaccine,” Judd said. “That means the coronavirus will continue to spread in those countries and will be problematic in those countries. It means travel restrictions could happen. It means that it may impact Americans in terms of how they interact through work with people from those countries. It definitely will continue to impact us, so we have to be aware that it’s a good 18 months away before there’s enough vaccine to really stop the spread of the virus worldwide.”

'It’s really a global fight'

At least 13 states have hit their goals of at least 70% of their residents being partially vaccinated, which has led governors to lift restrictions and mask mandates.

But there is still a persistent group of people across the country who are refusing to get vaccinated for a variety of reasons such as political beliefs, safety concerns, or genuine anti-vax sentiment.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 7% of those who are unvaccinated said they will only get the shot if they are required, while 13% are still “definitely not” getting a vaccine.

The problem, though, is that mutant strains (variants) of the virus are able to form as the virus circulates for longer. So even with at least 70% vaccinated, there is still a risk.

“That 30% that winds up in another state, say that the state makes it to 70% and there are 30% unvaccinated,” Judd said. “It poses a risk to that 30%. We really want to get to the 70% target in all states. That’s what will make this virus go away and not stay with us. If we don’t, we’re going to wind up battling outbreaks basically.”