Biden to push for more vaccinations as administration reaches 200 million-dose milestone
President Joe Biden will deliver remarks Wednesday about his administration’s efforts to increase Covid-19 vaccinations as his administration reaches the goal of administering 200 million shots in his first 100 days in office.
That milestone, which Biden doubled in March when it became clear that vaccinations were on pace to meet the goal, translates into about half of U.S. adults having received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while about a third are fully vaccinated.
Who has been vaccinated, where and how? Steve Kornacki breaks it down.
Biden has set a date of July Fourth for returning much of the country to some semblance of normalcy. With vaccines now available to people 16 and older, the administration is pushing to expand and accelerate the delivery of the shots.
Earlier this week, the administration began a media blitz to promote the eligibility of all adults to get the shots in an effort to address vaccine hesitancy in some groups, including among Republicans and minority communities. An analysis of federal data shows that states are seeing a rise in unused vaccine doses as demand flattens. Concerns about the use of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine also remain unresolved, although CDC advisers will meet Friday to discuss the next steps for the vaccine.
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that the administration will not need to rely on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to meet its goals.
“We remain confident in our ability to meet the needs that we feel will be out there in the public by the end of May, and we will have enough vaccine for every American by the end of July without J&J,” she said. “That is based on the supply that we’ve ordered from Moderna and Pfizer.”
Earlier this week, the administration began a media blitz to promote the eligibility of all adults to get the shots in an effort to address vaccine hesitancy in some groups, including among Republicans and minority communities. An analysis of federal data shows that states are seeing a rise in unused vaccine doses as demand flattens. Concerns about the use of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine also remain unresolved, although CDC advisers will meet Friday to discuss the next steps for the vaccine.