The delayed attempt to vaccinate the American population by COVID-19 it is finally getting faster, giving rise to the hope that a growing number of Americans may be vaccinated soon.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday that more than 951,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered to people across the country. This is by far the fastest daily vaccination rate since its introduction a month ago and a big jump from the previous day, when just under 340,000 doses were given.
The first COVID-19 vaccine, manufactured by drug companies Pfizer and BioNTech, began shipping on December 13 in the US.
On Tuesday, the federal government gave states the green light to vaccinate anyone over the age of 65, a move aimed at increasing the number of Americans who can get protection against the coronavirus. Previously, the US said states should discuss their doses for health workers and residents of nursing homes. The government has also said it is releasing all doses of the vaccine available for distribution.
The shift in strategy follows growing concerns about the government’s vaccination effort, a key element of the Trump administration Operation Warp Speed Initiative, did not live up to its name. A number of states have recently opened mass vaccination sites and are beginning to deviate from the federal plan. For that, New York City officials said Friday that they must vaccinate with teachers and residents over the age of 75 as early as this week.
The move to vaccinations that are starting fast is also coming as COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to increase. As of Tuesday, there were more than 235,000 new coronavirus infections in the U.S. and 4,470 deaths attributed to the virus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
“I’m really surprised that it seemed to be faster to plan, develop and mass-produce a vaccine than to develop and apply a plan to implement it,” said Andrew Read, a professor of biology. and entomology at Penn State University, said.
Even with the recent vaccination, more than two-thirds of the doses sent to states still need to be administered. As of Tuesday, nearly 30 million doses had been shipped to all 50 states as well as U.S. territories. Of that, according to CDC data, only 10.3 million – about 30% – went into people’s arms.