US Allows Vaccination for All Adults... Racing Toward Independence from COVID-19

Vaccinations Available for All Adults Starting 19th
70% Adult Vaccination Goal by June
Children and Vaccine Hesitants Are Key
Biden: "Let's Get Vaccinated to Gain Independence from COVID"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] On the 19th (local time), all adults residing in the United States became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The Joe Biden administration plans to intensively promote vaccination with the goal of achieving herd immunity before Independence Day on July 4th.

CNN reported that from this day, all 50 states in the U.S. have allowed vaccination for adults aged 16 and older.

The U.S. began COVID-19 vaccinations on December 14 last year, starting with healthcare workers in New York City and prioritizing high-risk groups such as seniors aged 65 and older.

The U.S. also plans to vaccinate adolescents aged 12 to 15. To this end, Pfizer has requested emergency use authorization for the vaccine for adolescents.

President Biden has set a goal to administer 200 million vaccine doses within his first 100 days in office. The U.S. aims to vaccinate 70% of the population by mid-June to achieve herd immunity and declare independence from COVID-19 on July 4th.

In an interview with NBC a day earlier, President Biden said, "We have made tremendous progress, but we are still fighting the virus," adding, "We can have a safe and happy Independence Day with family and friends in our yards. To do this, we must get vaccinated."

As of the 18th, 131 million adults in the U.S. have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, accounting for 50% of all adults, but additional vaccination efforts are expected to be strengthened.

The U.S. is administering 3.2 million vaccine doses daily, but new COVID-19 infections continue steadily with about 70,000 new cases per day. Vaccine hesitancy is spreading mainly among younger people, raising concerns that the vaccination rate will not increase as rapidly as before.

The online media Axios expressed concern that "those refusing vaccines and the shortage of vaccines for children could hinder efforts to achieve herd immunity."