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President Joe Biden announced on Friday that the United States had distributed 300 million shots of the COVID-19 vaccine in 150 days.
“Today, we will have reached the mark of 300 million shots in arms in just 150 days,” the President said. “It’s an important milestone that just didn’t happen on its own or by chance. It took the ingenuity of American scientists, the full capacity of American companies, and a whole-of-government response across federal, state, Tribal, and local governments.”
The President is still aiming to have at least 70% of adults in the United States vaccinated by July 4, 2021.
According to CBS News, to reach that goal, the U.S. would need to give over 700,00 first shots per day. We are currently administering about half that amount daily.
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients is confident that the President will meet his goal of 70% sometime this summer.
“We are going to get to 70%,” Zients said. “And we’re going to continue across the summer months to push beyond 70%.”
The President is adamant about vaccinating as many people as possible. He warned that states with lower vaccination rates are seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases. Earlier this week, the United States crossed the threshold of 600,000 people who died from the virus. The Delta variant, which was first detected in India, is also a big concern — the variant has been detected in 42 states.
“It’s a variant that is more easily transmissible, potentially deadly, and particularly dangerous for young people,” President Biden said. “If you have one shot, get the second shot – as soon as you can, so you’re fully vaccinated.
15 states have vaccinated more than 70 percent of their populations with at least their first dose, but others like Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana have yet to hit the 50 percent mark.
