Biden’s new Covid vaccination goal is for 70% of adults to have at least one shot by July 4

The White House is also preparing to “be able to mobilize immediately” if the Food and Drug Administration approves Pfizer’s Covid vaccine for people ages 12-15 for emergency use, an official said.

The administration officials also said more funding from the $1.9 trillion Covid relief law will be allocated toward rural health clinics and hospitals.

The new goal comes as the pace of daily shots slows, down to an average of 2.3 million reported vaccinations per day as of Monday from a high of 3.4 million on April 13.

As of Monday, more than 145 million Americans age 18 and older, or 56.3% of the total adult population, have had at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Roughly 104.7 million Americans age 18 and older, or 40.6% of the total adult population, are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Reaching the 70% figure does not mean the U.S. has achieved so-called herd immunity against the virus, the officials noted on the call.

Some health experts have argued that between 70% and 85% of the U.S. population needs to be vaccinated against Covid to achieve herd immunity – the point at which enough people in a given community have antibodies against a specific disease.

But one official said herd immunity is actually more “elusive” and the U.S. should just focus on vaccinating as many people as possible to drive down hospitalizations and deaths.

“Covid-19 is going to vary in its degree and dynamics by community,” according to the official. “So each community must individually strive to reach the goal of vaccinating 70% of his population by July 4.”

Biden, who made Covid his main focus when he took office Jan. 20, previously identified July 4 as a significant date in the United States’ fight against the pandemic.

In his first prime-time address to the nation in March, Biden set a goal for Americans to be able to gather in person with their friends and loved ones in small groups to celebrate the holiday.

“If we all do our part, this country will be vaccinated soon, our economy will be on the mend, our kids will be back in school, and we’ll have proven once again that this country can do anything,” Biden said at that time.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/04/covid-vaccines-biden-wants-70percent-with-at-least-1-shot-by-july-4.html