- Experts say the Biden administration’s goal of getting 70 percent of U.S. adults vaccinated against COVID-19 by July 4 is a realistic one.
- They say that if the goal is achieved, the summer could feel more normal with beach barbecues, weddings, and baseball games.
- They note there are concerns about the fall and winter when the weather turns colder, and people are indoors more often.
Independence Day 2021 could also mark the point at which the United States is mostly free of COVID-19 and restrictions related to the pandemic.
That’s the hope of the Biden administration and its public health officials, anyway.
But questions remain whether the goal of near normalcy can be achieved.
In a May 4 speech, President Joe Biden touted that the administration’s initial goal of delivering 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to Americans had been more than doubled, with 220 million doses delivered by the end of April.
“Our goal by July 4th is to have 70 percent of adult Americans with at least one shot and 160 million Americans fully vaccinated,” said Biden. “That means giving close to 100 million shots — some first shots, others second shots — over the next 60 days.
“If we succeed in this effort, as we did with the last, then Americans will have taken a serious step toward a return to normal: That’s July 4th,” Biden added.
Biden outlined the next stages of a nationwide vaccination plan that includes expanding vaccine eligibility to adolescents ages 12 to 15, shipping vaccines directly to pediatricians and rural health clinics, setting up a website and text messaging (ZIP code plus 438829) to find vaccination sites. The president also discussed establishing walk-in vaccination hours at 40,000 pharmacies nationally.
“We recently announced availability of same-day appointments nationwide, allowing patients to schedule appointments with as little as 30 minutes prior to the desired appointment time,” Dr. Kevin Ban, chief medical officer for the Walgreens pharmaceutical chain, told Healthline. “We also added walk-in appointments if a time slot is available and encourage patients to check with their local pharmacist.”
Biden also offered tax credits to companies that give workers time off to get vaccinated and partnerships with retailers, sports teams, and others to provide incentives to people who are reluctant to get the vaccine.
Source: healthline