While the Biden administration continues to push for Americans to get the latest COVID-19 shot, only 3% of the nation has gotten the newest vaccination.
Even with the small number, the nation’s top disease expert, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Mandy Cohen, shared with Politico that the nation was “on track.”
Cohen pointed to last year’s numbers, which hit 17% of the U.S. population, saying that the country would hit the same mark again.
So far, 12 million people, or 3.6% of the country’s population, have gotten the latest COVID-19 shot in the five weeks after it was made available to the public.
The administration is not only pushing for Americans to get their annual COVID-19 shot but also their annual flu vaccine.
Health officials have had more success with the latter, as 16 million people have gotten the flu shot, which Cohen said was partly due to the long-held routine.
“The flu shots have been around for a lot longer, and people have sort of worked it into their routine, and so the flu shot uptake is higher than what we were seeing, at least with the past Covid boosters,” Cohen told Politico.
Another reason Cohen gave for the lower turnout is the change in COVID-19 shot distribution now that the national health emergency is over.
“We don’t have the same level of visibility. When you don’t purchase and distribute, you also aren’t getting the same real-time information about who’s vaccinated. The number is really just a number that our pharmacy partners share back with us voluntarily,” Cohen said.
Cohen is currently promoting the latest shot on a tour of the country, as she hopes to target those most at risk for COVID and underserved communities.
“Look, I want as many people vaccinated as possible. I certainly want to make sure that we’re getting to our over-65 population,” Cohen said.