Satisfactory progress was reported in the country's vaccination program, as the U.S. finally reached President Joe Biden's goal of getting at least one COVID shot into 70 percent of American adults.
The came a month later than scheduled, and amid a woeful surge in COVID infections, thanks to the delta variant, which is now stretching hospitals to their limit, and leading to new mask rules and calls for mandatory vaccinations across the country.
And Lindsey Graham has become the first senator to contract COVID despite having been inoculated.
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Jeff Zients, White House coronavirus coordinator, said, "With these ongoing efforts, there's a strong sense of progress. And you see it in the number of shots we're getting into people's arms each day. Over the past few weeks, we've seen a nearly 70 percent increase in the average number of new people getting vaccinated each and every day. In the last seven days alone, 3 million Americans have gotten their first shot. That's the highest seven-day totals since July 4th."
Around a month after July 4, and the U.S. has finally reached the July 4th vaccination goal of having 70 percent of American adults vaccinated.
The U.S. reached the vaccination goal in the nick of time, just as the Delta variant is about to create insurmountable difficulties for the nation.
The vaccination rate now is satisfactory. Be that as it may, there was no celebration whatsoever at the White House, as the vaccination rate needed to ward off the delta variant becomes higher and higher. In reality, the Biden administration is devoted to fighting misinformation and skepticism among unvaccinated Americans in lieu.
Having witnessed the U.S. reaching the July 4th goal, health officials are now moving one step further -- vaccinating 165 million American adults.
But again, the public is afraid the devil's in the detail, since vaccination rates in some Southern states, including Alabama, remain generally sluggish. Alabama only has 43 percent of the state's population vaccinated.
But the Delta variant appears to be invincible, as new infections continue to increase despite higher vaccination rates. As such, new cases every day in the U.S. have increased sixfold over the past month to an average of around 80,000. Plus, there's a new variant -- Delta Plus -- that is now playing out elsewhere.
And senator Lindsey Graham is among those infected today as he has become the first senator to test positive for COVID. Having been vaccinated, he expressed his gladness, saying his symptoms would have been far worse had he not gotten vaccinated. His infection has sparked fears there will be an outbreak in Congress.
The dramatic increase in new COVID infections every day in the nation is not an untoward event, since many Americans remain conservative and still haven't a clue as to whether the vaccines are effective, despite Biden's and health officials' mantras, "Get vaccinated" and "vaccines hold the key to eradicating COVID."
While Americans peruse the news that the U.S. is one step closer towards getting out of the current predicament, health officials in every state are busy mulling things over to see if they should make vaccines and masks mandatory.
In San Francisco, a requirement has been reimposed, ordering everyone, irrespective of vaccination status, wear masks in public indoor spaces.
In the Big Apple, as per new vaccination rules, airport staff and transit workers will have to get inoculated or face weekly testing. However, the governor stopped short of mandating either masks or inoculations for the general public, saying he lacks legal authority to do so.
Back in Washington, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said making inoculations mandatory nationwide is "not on the table", but noted that it's legitimate for employers to mandate inoculations. "Well, I think Karine (White House Deputy Press Secretary) said this on Thursday or Friday - that a federal mandate from the federal government is not on the table. So, I think what the President was referring to is the fact that employers can take that step, just as the federal government - and you've seen agencies do that - has the authority to take that step, according to the OLC (Office of Legal Counsel)." Said Psaki.
Still, getting at least one shot in 70 percent of American adults' arms is worth its weight in terms of vaccination status.
A surge in COVID infections can certainly stall the country's recovery from the pandemic.
But they say it takes two to tango. 70 percent of Americans, many only partially vaccinated, will not enable the U.S. to take every COVID outbreak as it comes. Only when the unvaccinated are also willing to get a vaccine will the U.S. finally be on the mend.
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