US Will Not Achieve Biden's Goal to Vaccinate 70% of American Adults by Fourth of July

By Alyssa Wilson Published: June 22, 2021

US Will Not Achieve Biden’s Goal to Vaccinate 70% of American Adults by Fourth of July

FILE - In this April 21, 2021, file photo, President Joe Biden speaks about COVID-19 vaccinations at the White House, in Washington. Biden spent his first 100 days encouraging Americans to mask up and stay home to slow the spread of COVID-19. His task for the next 100 will be to encourage the opposite behavior and manage the nation’s transition back to normalcy. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

By: Alyssa Wilson

The United States will miss President Biden’s goal of getting 70% of American adults vaccinated against COVID-19 with at least one dose by the Fourth of July.

Headline news with @Lauren_BNC on #StartYourDay: The U.S. extends travel restrictions with Canada and Mexico. Biden’s Fourth of July vaccination goal is in doubt. On June 24, @krispykreme will have a strawberry supermoon doughnut. pic.twitter.com/EXmlmg1viT

— BNC (@BNCNews) June 21, 2021

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According to The Washington Post, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said the team has assembled a new goal to get 70% of American adults over the age of 27 to receive at least one dose by the original date. Zients said 70% of Americans age 30 and up have already received at least one dose.

At the White House press briefing, he said Americans between the ages of 18 and 26 are not getting vaccinated at the rates of older adults. Despite this, Zients says 160 million Americans will be fully vaccinated by mid-July.

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The United States fell behind in reaching the president’s goal in the South and Midwest. Health officials have also struggled to persuade younger Americans to get vaccinated despite lotteries, gifts, and other promotions.

Vermont, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, and New Jersey have already partially or fully vaccinated more than 75% of adult residents. New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Maryland, Washington, Illinois, New York, Virginia, California, and Washington D.C. have also reached Biden’s original goal.