SATURDAY UPDATES: Half of all Missouri adults now have at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine

Missouri hit another milestone in vaccine distribution on Saturday, as the health department is now reporting 50% percent of residents 18 and older have at least one shot of the coronavirus vaccine.

Of those, 41.5% have completed the process, according to data from the Department of Health and Senior Services.

Statewide, 2,418,524 people have initiated the vaccination process, which is 39.4% of the entire population of Missouri. Of those, 1,994,707 people has completed the process.

The vaccination rates is continue to slow down. The state reported the 7 day average of doses given out on Friday hit 15,184, which is the lowest it has been since January 20.

In total, 4,276,979 doses of the vaccine have been given out in the Show-Me State.

The health department reported 249 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the total to 507,307 throughout the pandemic. The state also record 183 new probable cases through antigen testing, pushing that total up to 85,637.

Four new deaths due to COVID-19 were reported on Saturday, the death-toll now sitting at 8,859.

As of Saturday, 774 people are dealing with COVID-19 infection in Missouri hospitals. Of those, 153 are in the ICU, and 96 are on ventilators.

The state's positivity rate dropped slightly to 4.0%.