On Friday, the United States will reach a key vaccine milestone, having administered 100 million Covid-19 vaccines since President Joe Biden took office, yet vaccine rates and vaccine reluctance remain high in many states.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 18: Outside the Karsh Family Social Service Center in Los Angeles, California, a resident of Koreatown receives a COVID-19 immunization dosage… [+]. Only 42 percent of Koreatown people aged 65 and over had received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, compared to 75 percent of older adults in more wealthy Los Angeles neighborhoods. (Image courtesy of Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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On March 18, Biden announced that the US would have administered 100 million Covid-19 shots in the first 58 days of his presidency, weeks ahead of his 100-day timeline.
According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 115 million doses have been administered to date.
Over 22% of the population in the United States has gotten at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, with 12.3% of the population fully immunized.
According to data provided by The New York Times, Alaska has fully vaccinated 19 percent of its population, the highest of any state, while Utah has only 8.9% of its people fully vaccinated, the lowest of all 50 states.
However, vaccine apprehension remains high: according to a new NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist poll, 30 percent of all American adults will refuse to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
In December 2020, Biden declared his objective of distributing 100 million Covid-19 doses in 100 days. There were no vaccines approved for emergency use in the United States at the time. Biden declared in early March that by the end of May, there would be enough vaccines for every adult, and that states should make all adults eligible for a vaccine by May 1. For the country to achieve herd immunity and return to a state of normalcy, experts predict that between 70% and 90% of the population will need to be immune to Covid-19.
In the United States, around 2 million vaccination doses are delivered every day. Following his inauguration, Biden boosted his aim of providing 1.5 million dosages each day from 1 million.
“Scientists have warned that when new strains of the virus spread, things could grow worse. The best thing we can do to fight back against these mutations is to be vaccinated. Despite the fact that millions of individuals have been vaccinated, we still need millions more. And, once again, when the time comes—when it’s your turn—I need you to get vaccinated “Biden stated this on Thursday.
Before Biden’s May 1 deadline, several states have declared that they will open up eligibility to all adults; Alaska has already done so.
Covid is exploding in over a dozen states, the majority of which have high vaccination rates (Forbes)
Covid-19: Vaccination Rates in the United States Increase to 2 Million Doses Per Day (New York Times)
According to a Post-KFF poll, more over four out of ten health-care employees have not been vaccinated (Washington Post) Continue reading
