San Francisco, June 12 (IANS): San Francisco Mayor London Breed has announced that 80 per cent of eligible residents in the US city have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, with nearly 70 per cent of the entire population fully inoculated.

San Francisco is the first major American city to achieve this milestone, and the vaccination rates are among the highest in the nation, the Mayor's office said in a statement on Friday.

In addition, 90 per cent of all residents 65 and older have received at least one dose, reports Xinhua news agency.

"From the beginning of this pandemic, San Franciscans have led the way in their efforts to slow the spread of the virus, keep each other safe, and end this pandemic," said Breed.

"Now, with 80 per cent of our eligible residents vaccinated, our city is healthy, our businesses are reopening, and people are once again enjoying everything that makes San Francisco such a wonderful place to live and visit."

To reach this goal, the city has expanded vaccine sites and mobile vaccine teams to Treasure Island, China Town, and other neighbourhoods with high infection rates and limited access to healthcare services.

The city has also partnered with health providers and community partners to reach this 80 per cent milestone.

Till date, the city's case rate has reached 1.4 per 100,000, 25 per cent lower than California and representing a 96 per cent decrease in Covid diagnoses since January.

Hospitalisations are at their lowest point since the pandemic began and testing positivity is 0.56 per cent, down from 5.36 per cent since the last peak in January and 13.46 per cent in April 2020.