Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Independence Day Target: Biden Aims For 70% Of Adults To Get A Shot By Then
NPR: Biden Sets New Goal: At Least 70% Of Adults Given 1 Vaccine Dose By July 4
President Biden on Tuesday announced a new goal to administer at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to 70% of American adults by the Fourth of July. The administration also aims to have 160 million adults fully vaccinated by then, a push to improve the level of immunity in the country to the point where the coronavirus has less of an opportunity to spread and so that more public health restrictions can be lifted, administration officials told reporters. (Wise, 5/4)
Stat: Biden’s New Goal: At Least One Vaccine Dose For 70% Of Adults By July 4
To reach that goal, Biden’s team said he will expand walk-up vaccinations at pharmacies and vaccination sites, open additional mobile vaccination units, and accelerate a public-relations campaign aimed at boosting vaccine confidence. The announcement comes as the pace of the U.S. vaccination effort has nosedived. As of mid-April, the country was administering just under 3.4 million vaccine doses each day. As of Tuesday, the rate had dropped to just under 2.3 million. (Facher, 5/4)
The Hill: Biden Acknowledges Difficulty Of Next Stage Of Vaccine Effort
President Biden acknowledged Tuesday that the next phase of the U.S. vaccination effort will be more difficult, as it will mostly be out of his control. "In one sense, it's easier because I don't have to put together this massive logistical effort, but in the other sense, it's harder because it's beyond my personal control," Biden said in response to a question after his prepared remarks. (Weixel, 5/4)
Axios: Biden's Latest Vaccine Goal Is His Hardest Yet
President Biden's latest vaccination goal — 70% of adults receiving one shot by July 4 — will be much harder to reach than his previous ones. And if the U.S. gets there, it will likely be driven by blue states. The U.S. has already inoculated most of its vaccine-enthusiastic population. States are already beginning to see wide disparities in vaccination rates, largely along political lines. (Owens, 5/5)
