President Joe Biden's goal of vaccinating 1 million people a day in the US in the next 100 days is too low, public health experts tell the New York Times.
That goal of 100 million shots would leave tens of millions of doses unused, experts tell the Times. It further notes that data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest the US has already reached that vaccination rate, as 1.1 million people received a vaccine dose last Friday, but at the same time, the figures indicate states and local governments have administered fewer than half the doses they have received. Instead, the Times says that a more efficient approach to delivering and administering vaccines could be more effective.
"I love that he set a goal, but a million doses a day?" Paul Offit from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of a federal vaccine advisory board, tells the Times, adding that "I think we can do better."
A reporter asked President Biden yesterday if that vaccination rate would be enough, leading him to reply that "when I announced it, you all said it's not possible. Come on, give me a break, man. It's a good start."