Biden’s 100-day vaccine goal was almost reached before he arrived

Photographer: Bing Guan / Bloomberg

The US is close to administering Covid-19 vaccines at a rate of one million doses per day, suggesting that the Biden administration’s goal of 100 million doses in 100 days could be a modest endeavor.

In the week that Biden was sworn in as president, an average of almost 983,000 shots were fired per day during the seven days ending Friday, according to data from Bloomberg’s vaccination detection. The past three days have been a million doses.

Biden’s goal is not to fall back. He made it a theme of his presidential campaign to criticize the handling of the previous administration’s pandemic – including the deployment of vaccines that were very short of then-President Donald Trump’s promises. At the current rate of about 1 million shots per day, it will take almost 18 months to vaccinate 80% of the US population.

“God willing, we’re not just going to do 100 million, but more than that,” Biden said in the White House on Friday.

Biden’s million-shots-a-day goal

Nearly 983,000 doses per day were given during the week he was sworn in.

Source: Bloomberg’s Covid-19 vaccine detection

Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser at Biden, said on Thursday that by the end of the summer, between 70% and 85% of the country could be vaccinated. To do so would require the administration of 460 million to 560 million doses, as the current vaccines require a first shot, followed by an enhancer. This is more than double the rate of Biden 100-day goal.

Biden “takes into account everything that can go right – and also what can go wrong – and he makes a moderate decision about which target we should aim for,” says Vivek Murthy, Biden’s choice for the US Surgeon General. ‘But do not make a mistake, its purpose is not only to comply with it, but to overcome it. But we have to stop. ‘

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday pushed for the 100 million dose target and explained the math behind the government’s thinking. According to her, 17 million doses were administered in the first 38 days for an average rate of less than 500,000 per day, and Biden’s team hopes to double that.

Bloomberg’s data show that the rate has increased significantly since the first weeks of inception. A more ambitious plan is to double the current vaccination rate – not the average rate during the early stages of vaccine distribution. This is what some Republicans have been asking for.

“America is on track for 100 million in 100 days,” said Republican Leader Steve Scalise. 2, said on Twitter. ‘Bidding can do 200 million in 100 days. Republicans will support it. Thanks to Trump, he’s already halfway there. ”

60.3 million shots worldwide: Bloomberg vaccine detection

In the early days of the vaccination campaign, doses are applied on a drop. By the time Biden entered service, the federal government had made more than 8 million doses available per week through its distribution program, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ allocation figures. Shots go almost as fast in the arms.

These figures include the first and second doses of Pfizer Inc. and Modern Inc. vaccinations. In total, the US has made available 65 million doses that can be ordered until the end of January and that will ship over the next few weeks. According to the CDC, almost 40 million have already been sent.

The US has spent more than any other country in the world accelerating the development and deployment of vaccines. It received more than 1 billion doses from six companies before one of the shots was approved. Because of all the criticism directed at the early struggles of vaccine vaccination, the US continues to lead the world in shots being administered and is their fifth in the world on a per capita basis.

US ranks fifth in shots per capita

The Trump administration has also set ambitious goals, with the goal of having hundreds of millions of doses available by the end of 2020 and following a rapid pace of vaccinations. This reduced the targets after not having as much vaccine available as he had hoped.

“You are not achieving one hundred percent of the goals you do not set,” Alex Azar, the Trump administration’s health secretary, said in an interview last month. He said the government’s revised goals for 2021 were to ensure that enough vaccines are available for every American who wants one.

The rapid vaccination campaign is not without its problems. The countries said they have little long-term insight into the offer they are being offered and that there could be significant delays between when the CDC says doses are sent and when it actually arrives. States like West Virginia and North Dakota are running on thin cushions in the vaccine supply because they have used up more than 70% of the shots sent to them.

‘There are a lot of problems. We will tackle them and achieve our daring goal of 100 m shots within 100 days, ”said Ron Klain, Chief of Staff of Biden, said on Twitter Friday morning. ‘It will not be easy, smooth or without setbacks. But we will do it. ”

New vaccines coming

Vaccination and the rate of vaccinations can accelerate rapidly when cleaning new shoots for use. A vaccine by Johnson & Johnson has enough data to start analyzing now, and may have results in a week or two, Fauci said this week. The Food and Drug Administration moved within days to authorize vaccination applications based on early results.