WASHINGTON (Nexstar) — Even though President Joe Biden’s COVID vaccination goal won’t be met by July 4, the country can now hold large events.
Biden set the goal of 70% of adults receiving at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the nation’s birthday. Still the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said there’s good news: “16 states and the District of Columbia have already met this goal.”
As a whole, the US has met the goal with adults 30-and-older, and Zients said the same will be true for those 27-and-older once data is factored in for the 4th of July weekend. The biggest challenge now is convincing people 26-and-younger to get vaccinated.
“It’s more important than ever that they get vaccinated,” he said.
The White House said the nationwide push will continue, including allowing people to get vaccinated at pharmacies and other locations with no appointment needed.
As in the United Kingdom, White House Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said the US faces possible localized coronavirus surges due to the Delta variant.
“The transmissibility is unquestionably greater,” Fauci said. “It is associated with an increased disease severity as reflected by hospitalization risk.”
The Delta variant is also impacting more kids and teens. Fauci said this variant “is the greatest threat to eliminating the virus in the US.”
The good news is vaccines have shown to be effective against infections and hospitalizations due to the Delta variant.
