The lagging effort to vaccinate the American population COVID-19 is finally starting to gain momentum, raising hopes that a growing number of Americans could soon be vaccinated.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday that more than 951,000 doses of the vaccine had been given to people across the country. That is by far the highest daily rate of vaccination since the rollout began a month ago and a big leap from the previous day, when just under 340,000 doses were given.
The first COVID-19 vaccine, which was manufactured by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech, was shipped in the US on Dec. 13.
Tuesday, the federal government gave states the green light to vaccinate everyone over the age of 65, an action that aimed to increase the number of Americans who could seek protection from the coronavirus. Previously, the US said states should reserve their doses for health professionals and nursing home residents. The government also said it would release all doses of the available vaccine for distribution.
The shift in strategy follows growing concern over the administration’s vaccination effort, a key element of the Trump administration Operation Warp Speed Initiative, did not live up to its name. A number of states have recently opened massive vaccination centers and have started to deviate from the federal plan. To that end, New York City officials said Friday they would begin vaccinating teachers and residents 75 and older this week.
The jump to a jump start with vaccinations is also because COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise. On Tuesday alone, there were more than 235,000 new coronavirus infections in the US and 4,470 deaths from the virus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
“It really amazes me that apparently it has been faster to plan, develop and mass produce a vaccine than it has been to develop and execute a plan to roll it out,” said Andrew Read, a professor of biology and entomology at Penn State University.
Even with the recent surge in vaccinations, more than two-thirds of the doses sent to the states have yet to be administered. As of Tuesday, nearly 30 million doses had been shipped to all 50 states and US territories. Of those, only 10.3 million – about 30% – had fallen into people’s arms, according to CDC data.