300 million COVID shots done, Joe Biden declares ‘summer of joy’

TIL Desk/World/Washington/ In the run up to Americas Independence Day weekend, US President Joe Biden struck a sunny note Friday declaring that the US is heading into a “very different summer compared to last year” after 300 million Covid-19 vaccines in arms in the 150 days since he took office.

“We’re heading into a very different summer compared to last year,” Biden said. “A bright summer. Prayerfully, a summer of joy.” The White House announced plans to host more than a 1,000 guests – mainly frontline workers and their families – on the South Lawn for a cookout on July Fourth. This is tipped to be one of the biggest in-person events of Biden’s presidency so far.

Biden was aiming to have 70 per cent of Americans at least partially vaccinated against Covid-19 by July 4. With the pace of vaccinations now dropping sharply off the highs in April, the current number stands at 65 per cent. Among adults alone, 55 per cent are fully vaccinated. Across America’s 50 states, 26 states and Washington D.C. have fully vaccinated 50 per cent or more of adults, according to White House data.

Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, 42.6 per cent of the US population is now fully vaccinated. Covid caseloads, hospitalisations and deaths in the US are down to their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic last year.