Biden Marks 300 Million U.S. Shots; 70% First-Dose Goal at Risk

(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden urged unvaccinated Americans to get inoculated from coronavirus, warning that a highly transmissible variant of the virus could cause more deaths.

“Even while we are making incredible progress, it remains a serious and deadly threat,” Biden said Friday during a White House event to celebrate 300 million doses of vaccine administered during the first 150 days of his administration.“The data is clear: If you are unvaccinated, you’re at risk of getting seriously ill, or dying, or spreading it.”

Covid-19 cases have plunged in the country in step with vaccinations, prompting many people to resume pre-pandemic activities like indoor dining, sporting events, concerts and travel in recent weeks. But a large swath of Americans -- particularly in the politically conservative South -- have declined shots despite warnings from health authorities that the virus remains a threat.

“The Delta variant can cause more people to die in areas where people have not been vaccinated,” Biden said on Friday. “Where people have gotten the two shots, the Delta variant is highly unlikely to result in anything,” he said, adding that “the existing vaccines are very effective.”

About 65% of Americans 18 and older have had at least one dose, according to the CDC, and 142.5 million adults are fully vaccinated. But at the current pace -- about 237,000 first doses per day -- Biden will fall short of his July 4 goal of 160 million adults fully vaccinated and 70% with at least one shot.

Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Georgia on Friday to encourage vaccination. The U.S. should cross the 300 million shots milestone later in the day or on Saturday, Biden’s 150th full day in office.

Biden’s goal could be met shortly after the U.S. Independence Day holiday. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have partially vaccinated 70% of adult residents.

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Regardless, the U.S. -- which only recently announced plans to share its massive stockpile of vaccines with needy countries -- remains far ahead of most of the world. The European Union has lifted travel restrictions on U.S. residents as the summer vacation season kicks into gear.

But the U.S. also reached a grim milestone in the pandemic this week, as the death toll eclipsed 600,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Public health officials have stressed that danger remains, as the highly transmissible Delta variant first seen in India is expected to become the dominant strain in the U.S.

Studies have so far shown U.S.-authorized vaccines to be highly effective against the variant, though the protection is significantly lower for those with only one dose of shots with a two-dose regimen.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.