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The U.S. government is stepping up its efforts to vaccinate young Americans against COVID-19 because people are increasingly worried about the spread of a new variant that may set the country back in the coming months.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Tuesday that this effort is ongoing because the delta variant first discovered in India has accounted for more than 20% of coronavirus infections in the United States in the past two weeks. This is twice the prevalence of this variant when the CDC last reported.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top US infectious disease expert, said at a White House briefing on the virus: “The delta variant is currently the biggest threat to our attempts to eliminate COVID-19 in the United States.” “Good news: our vaccine changes to delta.” The body is effective.”
He added: “We have the tools. So let us use them to smash the epidemic.”
The White House admitted on Tuesday that US President Joe Biden will not be able to achieve his goal of vaccinating 70% of American adults at least one shot before Independence Day. But it said he has reached the threshold for people aged 30 and over, and is expected to reach the threshold for people aged 27 or over before the July 4 holiday.
Biden is also expected to miss the second goal-to fully vaccinate 165 million adult Americans by July 4. Jeff Zines, the White House COVID-19 coordinator, predicts that it will take several weeks before this number is reached. On Monday, the number of people vaccinated in the United States exceeded 150 million.
Press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday: “We don’t think this is entirely a problem.”
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Nonetheless, government officials said they are paying more attention to vaccinating young Americans between the ages of 18 and 26, and it turns out that they are least likely to be vaccinated when the vaccine is available.
In the past month, the nation’s new vaccination rate has dropped sharply. Even if injections become more and more available, less than 300,000 Americans receive the first dose of vaccine every day on average. If it continues, the United States will not be able to reach this rate. The 70% target for posting will not be until the end of July at the earliest.
Officials are also increasingly concerned about regional differences in vaccination programs.
More than 16 states and the District of Columbia have vaccinated 70% of their adult population. But other regions—especially in the South and Midwest—are lagging far behind, four of which have not yet reached the 50% adult vaccination rate.
“Success has exceeded our highest expectations”
The White House stated that achieving Biden’s vaccination goals is not as important as the pace of the country’s reopening, which even exceeded its internal predictions, because most of the most vulnerable people in the country have been vaccinated, and the number of cases and death rates are at the same level since the epidemic. The lowest level. In the first few days of the pandemic, there were an average of approximately 11,000 new infections and fewer than 300 deaths per day.
More states are reopening, with Michigan on Tuesday becoming the latest state to remove mask regulations and virus restrictions. This spring, the state had the worst epidemic in the country.
“Our success exceeded our highest expectations,” Zeints said.
According to the CDC, the vast majority of Americans at the highest risk of complications from COVID-19 have been vaccinated, but only 53% of 25-39-year-olds have received a dose of the vaccine. Among 18-24 year olds, this proportion is 47%.
“There is more work to be done in this country, especially for people aged 18 to 26,” Zients said.
Zients and government experts say that the rise of delta variants should motivate young Americans to get vaccinated.
“The reality is that many young Americans believe that COVID-19 will not affect them, and they are not too eager to get an injection,” Zients said. “However, with delta variants now spreading across the country and infecting young people all over the world, their vaccinations are more important than ever.”
The number of hospitalizations in some rural areas has increased sharply
This mutation is taking root, as there are signs that cases in unvaccinated areas of the United States may surge. In recent weeks, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in rural Missouri, including Springfield and Branson, has increased dramatically, and health officials have attributed it in part to the spread of delta variants among unvaccinated young residents.
Fauci said: “There is a danger, a real danger, that if the stubbornness to vaccination persists, you may see a local surge.”
The White House plans to focus on more and more local vaccination activities. First lady Jill Biden traveled to Mississippi and Tennessee on Tuesday to promote vaccination. Biden himself will visit North Carolina on Thursday.
In regions including Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming, this variant accounts for the number of new infections Half of it.
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