While more than 66 million people received two doses, more than a third of Americans – or 112 million – received at least one dose, according to data published Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Officials and experts hope that Americans will be vaccinated quickly because lockdown fatigue takes its toll and many people let their disappointment down, just as more transmissible, and perhaps more deadly, variants of the virus become dominant. In this effort, all 50 states have pledged to open vaccinations for all Americans 16 and older by April 19th.
“It’s almost a race between people being vaccinated and this boom that wants to increase,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci said earlier this week, pointing out that Europe is experiencing an increase like the one that experts are worried about for the US.
“I wish we had another three or four months before this B.1.1.7 variation begins to occur,” said Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, this week.
Experts address the problems with the vaccine response
Although some in the public have expressed concern about their possible adverse reactions to vaccines, health experts are advising that the benefits outweigh the risks.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE) said Thursday that it finds that the negative response from 11 people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Park vaccination site is no cause for concern.
“After reviewing the symptoms of each patient, analyzing other vaccinations of the same vaccine and talking to the CDC to confirm our findings, we are confident that we need not give cause for concern,” said Dr. Eric France, chief medical officer at CDPHE said.
Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health has begun a clinical trial to determine whether people who are very allergic or have mastitis disorders are more likely to experience an immediate allergic reaction to the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines. according to the agency’s news. release.
Mass cell disorder is caused by an abnormal accumulation of a type of white blood cell that leads to allergic reactions.
“The public is understandably concerned about reports of rare, severe allergic reactions to the Moderna and Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines,” Fauci said. “The information gathered during this trial will help doctors advise people who are very allergic or have a mast cell disorder about the risks and benefits of receiving these two vaccines. For most people, the benefits of vaccination are However, COVID-19 far outweighs the risks. “
Universities want to protect against outbreaks
Recent cases of Covid-19 are skewed younger, in part because activities such as school sports and because more older people are being vaccinated, Fauci said on Wednesday. Some universities are now implementing policies to prevent further outbreaks of their students.
The University of Chicago has issued a home order for students living in residences over the next seven days, a letter from the dean and vice president said Thursday.
The order comes after more than 50 cases of Covid-19 were detected among students. According to the letter, this is the largest group of cases the school has experienced since the beginning of the academic year.
“Many of these cases may have been linked to one or more off-campus parties in the past week,” the letter said.
Meanwhile, the University of Notre Dame in Indiana as well as Syracuse University and Ithaca College in New York are joining the growing list of colleges and universities that need the Covid-19 vaccine for students before returning to campus in the fall.
Several other schools made similar announcements this week. CNN counts 14 universities and universities nationwide that have announced that they need to be vaccinated against students.
“After a long year, it would give us all hope of returning to a normal campus experience,” Syracuse Chancellor Kent Syverud said. “You have shown around every turn what it means to be Orange by navigating these extraordinary times with gravel, grace and determination. Now I ask that each of you take the next step by being vaccinated.”
CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this story, it was wrong how many Americans received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine. That’s a third of all Americans.
CNN’s Deidre McPhillips, Hannah Sarisohn, Rebekah Riess, Ashley Ahn, Hollie Silverman, Elizabeth Stuart and Lauren Mascarenhas contributed to this report.