President Joe Biden addressed questions about the federal government’s rollout of the coronavirus vaccine on Monday, adding that he believes that the US should reach herd immunity by the summer.
When asked when Americans who want a vaccine can get one, Biden said that he thinks that can happen by the spring.
“I think we'll be able to do that this spring. But it is going to be a logistical challenge that exceeds anything we have ever tried in this country,” Biden said. “But I think we can do that. I feel confident that by summer, we are going to be well on our way to heading toward herd immunity and increasing the access for people who aren’t on the (priority) list all the way going down to children and how we deal with that. I feel good about where we're going.”
As of Monday, more than 20 million Americans have gotten at least the first of two doses of the coronavirus vaccine. Biden set a goal of getting 100 million doses out by the end of April, but that number would not necessarily mean 100 million people given each person needs two doses spaced three to four weeks apart.
“I think with the grace of God and the good will of the neighbor and the creek not rising, as the old saying goes, I think we’ll be able to get that to 1.5 million a day rather than 1 million a day,” Biden said. “But we have to meet that goal of a million a day.”
There are currently two coronavirus vaccines that have garnered an emergency use authorization from the FDA. A vaccine produced by Pfizer, which studies indicate has a 95% efficacy rate, began being administered in the US last month. A second coronavirus vaccine, which is produced by Moderna and has a 94% efficacy rate, began being administered last month as well.
Other coronavirus vaccines are expected to enter the mix in the coming weeks, including one from Johnson and Johnson.
