American health care workers are on track to deliver the 100 millionth coronavirus vaccine of President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday, about 40 days before the president had promised to reach the milestone.
“Tomorrow, we will hit 100 million doses our administration has administered,” said Biden on Thursday, Fox News reported. “I’ve always said that’s just the floor, we will not stop or pop until we beat this pandemic. Next week I’ll announce our next goal to put shots in arms.”
Health care workers reached Biden’s goal of 100 million vaccines in 100 days more than month earlier than Biden had promised of his administration, Politico reported. “By the time Biden took office the country was administering nearly 1 million shots per day — prompting questions about whether the new administration’s target was ambitious enough,” according to Politico.
In his update, Biden provided the follow data, Fox News reported:
- “65% of people ages 65 and older in the U.S. have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.”
- Of the 65 and older age group, 36% “are fully vaccinated” — meaning they’ve received both shots of either Pfizer or Moderna and one shot of Johnson & Johnson.
- America’s current vaccine administration pace is 2.5 million daily shots.
In total — between the Trump and Biden administrations — around 115.7 million vaccine doses have been given in the last three months, Politico reported.
Being a good neighbor
Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said Thursday that the U.S. was shoring up plans to deliver AstraZeneca vaccines, yet-approved in the U.S., to America’s northern and southern neighbors, CNN reported.
“I can confirm that we have 7 million releasable doses available of AstraZeneca,” said Psaki at a White House press briefing Thursday, according to CNN. “2.5 million of those we are working to finalize plans to lend those to Mexico and 1.5 million to Canada,” she said, reported CNN.
The U.S. has stockpiled tens of millions of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine — ordered by the Trump administration before the vaccine’s emergency approval in America — “but issues with clinical trials have held up its authorization and the FDA is still waiting on additional data,” The Hill reported.