Biden looks to complete 70% vaccination in US by July 4

As vaccination is dropping in the United States, President Joe Biden has announced a new program for COVID-19 vaccination with his administration. He also set a new target to get shot in people’s arms.

On Tuesday he said, “Our goal by July Fourth is to have 70% of adult Americans with at least one shot and 160 million Americans fully vaccinated”. He also added in his statement, “That means giving close to 100 million shots ― some first shots; others second shots ― over the next 60 days. Of course, Americans can still get shots after July Fourth, but no one should wait”.

Biden shared information that in first 100 days of his administration, 220 million people was successfully vaccinated, easily broke his goal of getting 100 million people vaccinated at that time frame. According to CDC, 32% (106 million) people were vaccinated fully and 44.5% (around 148 million) population in the United States has gotten at least first shot of COVID vaccine.

The CDC also states that as of April 29, the 7-day average number of vaccinations was 2.6 million per day, a 10.7% decrease from the previous week. Since most people who want the first shot are able to achieve it, the national strategy will have to change. He outlined three strategy shifts.

That age group of children with 12 to 15 years is not yet authorized to receive the vaccine, but Biden said the FDA is reviewing data from clinical trials in children. He further added that the government is ready to apply vaccines directly to pediatricians to speed up vaccination of those children.

The FDA hopes to authorize the Pfizer vaccine next week. Pfizer and Moderna are developing juvenile vaccines. Health experts say getting children vaccinated is important to bring the epidemic under control.

A texting system and a new website named vaccine.gov will help Americans to find out the nearest vaccination site, Biden said. All federal “pharmacy mates” will start giving vaccinations without appointments. Large vaccination sites will be closed, and vaccines will be sent to more rural areas. Grocery chains and sports venues will be encouraged to offer discounts for vaccinations.

Biden encouraged those who are unsure about the shots to realize that vaccination could protect those they love, not themselves. He encouraged them to talk to their doctor, pharmacist, faith leader, or someone they knew who had been vaccinated.

The Associated Press reported that the administration on Tuesday also informed the governors that vaccines would no longer be distributed strictly on the basis of population. With the dropping demand, some states are not taking all the vaccines allotted to them. The AP said that any surplus in the vaccines would be carried into the pool, which needed a dose.