President Joe Biden is now aiming to get 70% of adults in the United States vaccinated by the Fourth of July. He announced the latest goal in the country’s vaccination campaign during a speech in the White House on Tuesday.
“In two months, let’s celebrate our independence as a nation and our independence from this virus. We can do this. We will do this,” Biden said.
The latest data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 145 million adults have gotten at least one dose, which is good for 56%. As for those who are fully vaccinated, the CDC says that number is 106 million, and the president said he would like to see that go up to 160 million by the July 4 deadline.
The president acknowledges the challenge has shifted away from a lack of supply to waning demand.
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The Biden administration is looking to make it easier for those who have been on the fence about getting a shot or who have had difficulty securing an appointment.
Biden said, starting this week, they are directing pharmacies that have partnered with the federal government to allow walk-ins and encourage state and local partners to do the same.
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The feds are also getting more vaccine doses to rural health clinics. And instead of having larger vaccination sites, there’s a push to move toward smaller locations in communities.
In addition, the website vaccines.gov has been established to help people find a place to get a shot near them. People can also text their ZIP code to 438829 and get a text back with the closest vaccination location.
Another challenge is reaching the vaccine-hesitant or those who don’t believe they need to get a shot. The president mentioned specifically those in their 20s and 30s.
“Well, I want to be absolutely clear: You do need to get vaccinated,” Biden said. “Getting vaccinated not only protects you, it also reduces the risk that you give the virus to somebody else. It could save your life or the lives of people you love. We’re still losing hundreds of Americans under 65 years of age every week, and many more are getting seriously ill.”
Biden said the government has been working on partnerships with businesses such as grocery stores to provide discounts to people who get vaccinated in their stores, and with the major sports leagues in the country who can have promotions.
Health care professionals are also working against an assault of misinformation circulating via social media and word of mouth.
“You just need to educate people,” Ed Dix, director of pharmacy at Inspira Medical Center in Mullica Hill, N.J., said on a recent episode of the KYW Newsradio In Depth podcast. “I think people hear what’s on the news and the media, specifically social media, and it’s not reality. And sometimes I feel, like, an obligation to give them the bare bones honest truth. And it has actually changed people’s minds.”
The Biden administration is also preparing for the vaccine to become available for adolescents. Pfizer is waiting for approval from the Food and Drug Administration to amend the emergency use authorization so that children between the ages of 12 and 15 are eligible to get vaccinated.
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After regulators give the green light, Biden said, they are prepared to allow about 20,000 pharmacies across the country to vaccinate adolescents and ship doses out directly to pediatricians.
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