Even as the United States is in the midst of an intense surge of COVID-19 cases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, remains somewhat optimistic.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has referred to the initial rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in the United States as “some little glimmer of hope” despite issues with the vaccine’s rollout and the increase in total cases. At this point the total number of vaccinations given is about 4 million and the current rate of vaccination is roughly 500 thousand vaccines per day.
Despite the reasons for optimism, there are still concerns due to the distribution of vaccines being left up to individual states which has led to some confusion. While 4 million people have been vaccinated, this pales in comparison to the 17.5 million doses that have been shipped. This confusion puts millions of vaccine doses at risk of expiring before they can be used.
The incoming Biden administration hopes to vaccinate 100 million people in the first 100 days of the administration, which Dr. Fauci believes is a realistic goal. The importance of the vaccination effort is undergirded by the most recent surge of cases. In the United States, 350 thousand people have died of COVID-19 and 20 million have been infected.
Brendan McPherson | IG @brendan_mcpherson
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