The president of the United States, Joe Biden, advanced to April 19 the deadline for all American adults to have access to the vaccine against Covid-19, a goal originally proposed for May 1.
In an intervention from the White House, the president detailed that 150 million doses of the immunizer have been administered in his first 75 days in office, a figure in line with his goal to provide 200 million injections for his first 100 days in office.
According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided by Biden, more than 75 percent of people over 65 received a dose of the vaccine, while more than 55 percent are fully immunized.
In parallel, he reported that the number of pharmacies participating in the vaccination program will increase from the current 17,000 to 40,000. Previously, Biden announced that his Administration will open 12 mass vaccination centers and new facilities in Tennessee, Wisconsin, Maryland, South Carolina, Colorado and Minnesota.
Although Biden has been satisfied with the American vaccination program, he reiterated that the country must continue to intensify its efforts to combat the pandemic.
So the US government warned that the country is on the “edge” of a fourth wave of infections, which are rising due to the British variant of the coronavirus and as the states remove their restrictions.
With a record rate of three million covid-19 vaccines administered per day and a third of the population that has already received at least the first dose, optimism and pandemic fatigue have generated a delicate cocktail in the United States, where it is expanding the aforementioned variant and other locations.
He also emphasized that, although the country vaccinates a record number of people, the battle against Covid-19 is “far from being won”, as new infections are on the rise again.
For this reason, he asked the local authorities to maintain and, in some cases, restore, the obligation to use masks to avoid infections.
Biden also said he hopes his government can start sharing its vaccine inventory with other countries “before the summer is over” once it has made sure it has enough to inoculate its entire population.
Previously, the US government ruled out the introduction of vaccination passports, according to the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, who clarified that the Biden Administration plans guidelines for companies that develop this type of credential.