ONE HUNDRED million Americans are now fully vaccinated in the United States, the White House said on Friday.
It comes as Disneyland reopens and cruises announced they are to set sail again by the summer due to the fast vaccine rollout.
Coronavirus response director Jeff Zients said the US has fully vaccinated 39 percent of its adult population
“That’s a hundred million Americans with a sense of relief and peace of mind, knowing that after a long and hard year, they’re protected from the virus,” Zients said.
Over 55 percent of adults have received one of the two-dose vaccines, up from 30 percent last month, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
However, around eight percent of those who have received one dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine have not returned for their second dose, according to the Associated Press.
In the wake of more people getting vaccinated against COVID-19, Disneyland reopened on Friday after closing for over a year.
Still, Disneyland will practice caution by operating at a 25 percent capacity, according to the Associated Press.
Additionally, the CDC is allowing cruise ships to sail again starting mid-July without conducting practice trips first.
But for ships to cruise again, 98 percent of the crew and 95 percent of passengers need to be fully vaccinated, according to a CDC letter to the industry that was obtained by USA Today.
“A hundred million Americans who can follow the new CDC guidance released this week and enjoy going to the park with their family, dining and socializing with their friends outside and many more outdoor activities without needing to wear a mask,” Zients said during Friday’s briefing.
The Joe Biden administration beat the goal of administering 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in its first 100 days, reaching over 220 million shots, the White House said.
As of Friday, the U.S. administered 240 million shots of all three COVID-19 vaccines— Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson, according to the latest Covid data tracker by CDC.
Within the next 100 days, the administration plans to combat misinformation, increase accessibility, and help people who lack the resources to get vaccinated, according to CNN.
The Biden administration said that there will be enough vaccine supply for every adult American by the end of May.
The Covid-19 vaccine is now accessible to those over the age of 16 nationwide.
This week, 300 million vaccine doses were shipped nationwide, according to the White House.
More people are optimistic about the uptick in vaccinations as life slowly goes back to pre-pandemic levels, but a health expert said that the number of people vaccinated in the U.S. today is still not enough.
“The hardest part is ahead of us,” former Baltimore health commissioner and a visiting professor of health policy at George Washington University, Leana Wen, told the Associated Press.
“I’m very concerned that we are not going to come anywhere close to reaching herd immunity in 2021, ” she added.
Dr. Anthony Fauci previously noted that 75 percent to 80 percent of the U.S. population need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.
The rate of deaths caused by the virus in the U.S. decreased to an average of around 670 per day compared to about 3,400 per day in mid-January, according to the Associated Press.
