More than half of American adults vaccinated as Covid cases ebb
More than half of American adults vaccinated as COVID cases ebb
May 25, 2021; 11:42 AM EDT
(Reuters) – More than half of all American adults have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the White House said, roughly six weeks before U.S. President Biden’s July 4 goal of a 70% inoculation rate.
The halfway mark comes as federal, state and local leaders press ahead with delivering COVID-19 shots to people who have not yet received them, while also battling vaccination hesitancy, fears and misinformation.
A man receives a dose of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the New York State COVID-19 vaccination site at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, in New York City, U.S., January 13, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
“Now, with another week left in May, half of all U.S. adults are fully vaccinated,” White House senior COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt tweeted overnight.
Biden’s White House COVID-19 Task Force has scheduled a news briefing for Tuesday afternoon.
New coronavirus infections nationwide have settled into a sustained decline as more people become vaccinated.
The number of new U.S. infections fell to a seven-day average of 22,877 on Sunday, the lowest since June and less than one-tenth of its post-holiday peak of more than 250,000, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
People as young as 12 can also now receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID shot, while Moderna said on Tuesday its vaccine was also effective in adolescents, opening the door to a possible second U.S.-approved vaccine for youth later this year. read more
A growing number of localities have announced further reopening efforts as the United States heads into its unofficial summer kick-off with the Memorial Day holiday this weekend.
U.S. travel is on the rise read more and, while masks are still required for interstate public transportation, many local mandates have been lifted.
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