The United States is poised to meet President Joe Biden’s latest vaccination goal of administering 200 million COVID-19 injections in his first 100 days in office, as the White House steps up its efforts to vaccinate the rest of the public. .
With more than 50% of adults vaccinated at least partially, Biden will reflect this Wednesday on his efforts to expand the distribution and access of vaccines in his first three months in the White House.
But now that everyone over the age of 16 is eligible for vaccinations, the president is expected to outline his administration’s plans to further increase the vaccination rate.
With approximately 28 million doses of vaccines delivered each week, demand has overshadowed supply as a limiting factor for vaccines in much of the country.
While surveys have shown that doubts about vaccines have diminished since the vaccines were launched, administration officials believe they should make getting vaccinated easier and more attractive.
Maximizing the number of vaccinated Americans in the coming months is critical for the White House, which aims to restore a semblance of normalcy around the July 4 holiday and even more so by the start of the next school year.
Biden was not expected to set new public targets for vaccines, and administration officials have been careful to avoid predicting when they project the country will have vaccinated enough people to achieve herd immunity.
The United States is on track to have a sufficient supply of vaccines for all adults by the end of May and for all Americans by July, but administering them will be another matter.
In recent weeks, the White House has launched a massive outreach campaign to get Americans vaccinated, relying on funding from the $ 1.9 trillion virus aid package approved last month to launch ads and fund community engagement. direct in under-vaccinated districts.
See what this member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
Biden set his goal of 200 million vaccines last month after meeting his goal of 100 million in 100 days just over a month ago. At the time, the US was well on its way to reaching the higher goal, and the pace of vaccines has only accelerated, to about 3 million injections per day.
The goal of 100 million doses was first announced on December 8, days before the US even had a licensed vaccine for COVID-19, let alone the three that have now received emergency clearance. Still, it was generally considered within reach, albeit optimistic.
By the time Biden took office on January 20, the United States had already administered 20 million vaccines at a rate of about 1 million per day, prompting complaints at the time that Biden’s goal was not ambitious enough. He quickly revised it up to 150 million doses in his first 100 days.
It’s a deliberate effort by Biden to establish clear – and achievable – metrics for success as part of a strategy of less promises, then overdelivers. Aides believe exceeding their targets builds confidence in the government after the Trump administration’s sometimes fanciful rhetoric about the virus.