According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States reached a major milestone on Friday toward ending the COVID-19 pandemic, in which more than 100 million people received at least one dose of vaccine.
What you need to know
- According to data from the CDC, more than 100 million Americans have now received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine
- As of Friday afternoon, 30.7% of the US population has received at least one injection, while 17.5% has been fully vaccinated
- The Biden government announced on Friday that 20 million injections have been administered in the past seven days, an average of 2.9 million doses per day
- But the number of new cases of coronaviruses continues to rise, fueling fears the country is heading for a fourth wave
The number was 101.8 million at the beginning of Friday afternoon, or 30.7% of the population. Almost 58 million are fully vaccinated – 17.5% of the population.
“It’s really inspiring to me to see many Americans embracing vaccination,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. “We know that the massive scaling up of vaccination is key to protecting the American people and bringing us closer to our normal lives.”
Nearly three-quarters of Americans 65 or older have received at least one injection, while 53.5% have been fully vaccinated.
The Biden government announced on Friday that 20 million injections have been administered in the past seven days, an average of 2.9 million doses per day, a new high.
“This is an unprecedented pace,” said Jeff Zients, White House COVID-19 coordinator. “No other country is vaccinating so many people so quickly.”
President Joe Biden had set a target date of May 1 for states to make all adults eligible for vaccines. He announced earlier this week that the country is on track to qualify 90% of adults by April 19.
Meanwhile, as states relax more security measures and variants proliferate, the number of new cases of coronaviruses continues to rise, fueling fears that the country could be headed for a fourth wave.
According to CDC data, there were nearly 75,000 new infections on Thursday, the most recorded since Feb. 24. The seven-day average for new cases is 63,727, nearly 11,000 more than two weeks ago.
Nine hundred and seven people died of the virus on Thursday, bringing the U.S. death toll to more than 550,000, according to CDC figures.
In a speech Friday, Biden pleaded with Americans not to treat the pandemic as if it were over.
‘I beg you. Don’t give back the progress we’ve all fought so hard for, ”he said. ‘We have to finish this job. We need every American to tie up and stay on their toes in this house area. Wear your mask, keep a safe distance from each other, wash your hands, get vaccinated when it’s your turn. That’s how we’re going to beat the virus, shed the weight of the pandemic holding back our economy. “