By Independence Day, the US government wanted to vaccinate 70 percent of American adults against Covid-19.
That didn't quite work out.
Washington - Despite numerous incentives and a large supply of vaccines, the US has missed a vaccination target set by President Joe Biden.
The government wanted 70 percent of all adults to receive at least one dose of vaccine by July 4th national holiday. So far, however, only 67 percent, or 173 million people, got at least the first vaccination, according to data from the CDC health authority on Sunday morning (local time). A good 58 percent of all adults are already fully vaccinated.
The White House had already admitted at the end of June that the vaccination target could not be achieved on US Independence Day. The government's corona coordinator, Jeff Zients, told CNN on Sunday that he did not assume that the US had now reached a plateau from which there was little progress. “More and more people decide that they want to be vaccinated too,” said Zients confidently. On average, around one million people are vaccinated every day - significantly less than the more than three million people at the height of the vaccination campaign in spring.
In relation to the total population of around 330 million people, 55 percent have now received at least the first injection. In more rural states, especially in the south, the vaccination rate is significantly lower than in the rest of the country. There, the number of new infections has recently increased again, which experts also attribute to the rapid spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus. On average, there are now a good 13,000 new infections every day across the country.
Many states are already offering incentives such as high cash prizes to encourage people to get vaccinated.
However, surveys suggest that the progress of the vaccination campaign is now likely to slow down as a minority rejects the vaccinations.
According to surveys, the minority of those who hesitate and refuse to vaccinate could make up a good 20 percent of the population.
Above all among Republicans, the party of ex-President Donald Trump, a negative attitude is widespread.
In the USA, the vaccines from Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna are mainly used, while those from Johnson & Johnson play a lesser role.
The government has secured plenty of vaccine and has already started distributing millions of doses to other countries.
dpa