By the end of the week, the U.S. will be nearing 160 million people fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden detailed Tuesday afternoon how his administration will be focusing on five areas this summer to get more Americans vaccinated against COVID-19, a White House official said.
The remarks came two days after Biden failed to reach his goal of having 70% of the adult population vaccinated by July fourth. Figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed the U.S. fell short at 67%.
Biden explained that his administration is planning a renewed focus on getting COVID vaccines to more doctor’s offices and other health care providers and is stepping up efforts to deliver vaccines to pediatricians so kids ages 12 to 18 can get vaccinated before they head back to school. The president also discussed plans for community by community, door to door outreach, expanded efforts to make the shots accessible for workers and expanded mobile clinic efforts.
By the end of the week, the U.S. will be nearing 160 million people fully vaccinated, a White House official said before Biden’s remarks.
More than 200 Americans are still dying each day from COVID-19, and tens of millions have chosen not to get the lifesaving vaccines. Still, about 1,000 counties have a vaccination rate below 30%, and the federal government is warning that they could become the next hot spots as virus restrictions ease.
With U.S. demand for vaccines falling even as they have been widely available for months, and as governments and businesses dangled an array of incentives at Americans to get a shot, officials were increasingly emphasizing that the consequences of disease now largely reflect the individual choices of those who are not yet vaccinated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
