United States President Joe Biden moved his July 4 deadline of partially vaccinating at least 70% of American adults amid the declining number of inoculations.
The Democratic leader made his statement regarding the deadline in April, saying Americans should continue to be on a "war footing" if they wanted to win against the disease. The President's announcement comes amid many state officials opening eligibility applications to the public or to those who have plans to do so.
During a speech at the White House after visiting a vaccination center in Alexandria, Virginia, Biden revealed that his administration, within his first 75 days in office, recorded 150 million administered doses of the COVID-19 vaccines. The numbers show that the country is at a pace of reaching its goal to have 200 million inoculations by its first 100 days.
Vaccination Goals
Despite being on track to reach his goal, Biden emphasized the need to continue efforts to fight against the virus. The country needs to step up its war against the COVID-19 virus by getting more vaccines available, setting up more vaccination centers, and administering more shots per day, the Democrat said, CNN reported.
But later on, Biden announced his goal of inoculating at least 70% of all American adults, with at least one vaccine shot, by July 4. He also shared a milestone of having 300 million administered COVID-19 vaccines in his first 150 days in office.
Days before the July 4 deadline, Biden spoke about the vaccination drive at the White House, urging officials to do what they can to meet the goal. Vice President Kamala Harris worked with Xavier Becerra, health and human services secretary, to encourage more people to get vaccinated. Harris traveled to Atlanta while Becerra went to Colorado.
The number of vaccinated individuals in America is a huge milestone, Biden said, and that it was not mere chance or luck. Across U.S. history, the federal government's effort to vaccinate its citizens has been one of the "biggest, most complicated logistical challenges" they have faced.
When Biden took office in January, he warned Americans of an impending "dark winter" amid the surging deaths from the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, the federal government had barely started conducting vaccination drives. But now, after nearly six months in office, the Democrat is touting the virus is being pushed back, the New York Times reported.
Falling Short
However, as of Friday, only 65% of American adults have received at least one shot of the coronavirus vaccine, based on the reports released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Experts estimated that at the rate it's going, Biden would fall short of his July 4 deadline with an estimated 67.6% vaccinated adults.
Fewer adults have been coming in to get inoculated in recent days, dropping to about 200,000 from 500,000 per day since the Democratic leader announced June would be a "month of action" to help reach his goal.
Biden noted how rates of death and hospitalization have significantly dropped in areas where residents have gotten vaccinated against COVID-19. His statement was an attempt to encourage the public to get in and receive their vaccine shots to fight back against the pandemic, CBS News reported.
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