President Biden’s request that every American adult be eligible for a coronavirus vaccine by May 1 comes at a time when the doses are being given faster.
Last month alone, vaccination rates rose about 40 percent to an average of 2.3 million shots per day on Friday, from an average of 1.7 million shots per day on February 12 in the York Times database.
The increased pace of vaccinations is due to the fact that vaccine production has increased. Mr. Biden’s team made important decisions that accelerated manufacturing and sales. Part of that success, however, is thanks to the Trump administration, which made efforts to manufacture vaccines when Mr. Biden took office.
But now as vaccine supply nears rightful demand, the country faces the challenge of getting all those shots in the guns, an operation that not only requires enough doses but also improves access to color communities as a space, manpower and messages to convince Americans that vaccination is safe and effective for a variety of reasons.
Already now, mass vaccination sites are opening and expanding across the country, and some places are extending the hours that recordings are available. The White House announced on Friday that another Federal Emergency Management Agency vaccination center was opening at a Detroit football stadium, capable of firing 6,000 shots a day.
More and more states have also expanded the criteria for people who are now eligible to register for vaccines as well.
Updated
March 12, 2021, 7:49 p.m. ET
101 million doses have been administered since the vaccination campaign began in December were administered according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention across the country. The number of shots had gradually increased and had exceeded 84 million as of January 20 Doses given from Thursday. The president initially set a goal of 100 million shots in his first 100 days in office and later averaged 1.5 million shots per day. At the current rate of 2.3 million shots a day, the country would pass the 100 million shot point during its administration in about a week.
What you need to know about the vaccine rollout
In mid-February, Mr Biden said that enough vaccines should be available to every adult in the country by the end of July. In early March, he said the timeline had shifted to the end of May. Mr Biden recently announced that his administration would secure an additional 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson single vaccine by the end of this year, a boost that could eventually make the vaccines available to children. The additional doses can also be used for booster vaccinations if necessary.
Vaccinating the country has become a race against time. New variants are popping up across the country, and leaders are getting nervous about easing restrictions as the weather warms up. Mr Biden’s health team has warned that now is not the time to lift restrictions, particularly maintaining mask mandates, which have been shown to successfully contain the spread of infection.
“We need everyone who continues to wash their hands, remains socially distant and continues to wear the mask recommended by the CDC,” said Biden during a national address on Thursday. “Because even if we use every resource we have, it depends on national unity to fight this virus and get back to normal.”
Amy Schoenfeld Walker and Noah Weiland contributed to the coverage.
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