Biden doubles vaccine target to 200m doses in first 100 days
President Joe Biden has set a new goal of 200m coronavirus vaccines in the US in his first 100 days in office.
The US vaccine rollout has gathered pace in recent weeks with over 70 per cent of over-65s having received at least one dose of the vaccine.
The White House said 130m shots had been administered as of Wednesday. Some 85m have received one shot, while 45m have been fully vaccinated.
The first groups to have been vaccinated have been healthcare workers and those working and living in care homes as states started to vaccinate as soon as the drugs regulator authorised its first vaccine back in December.
Deaths per day in the US from the coronavirus have dropped from an all-time high of over 3,400 in mid-January to an average of 940.
In late January Biden set a goal of 150m shots in his first 100 days before recommitting to his 100m doses, which was met ahead of schedule.
Today Biden said he wanted to double that figure: “I believe we can do it,” he told reporters at the White House.
The President has been bullish on the vaccine rollout, declaring a new target of 1 May by which every US adult would be eligible for a jab, earlier this month.
However the president’s chief medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci warned it was too early to declare victory.
“I’m often asked, are we turning the corner?” Dr Fauci said at a White House press briefing earlier this week. “My response is really more like we are at the corner.”
“Whether or not we’re going to be turning that corner still remains to be seen.”