President Biden announced Thursday that 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses will have been administered during his administration by Friday, weeks earlier than he had aimed for.
Biden had set a goal of administering 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses by his 100th day in office, and on Thursday, he said this milestone will be met "weeks ahead of schedule" on Friday, his 58th day in office. The president also reiterated that there should be enough vaccine supply for all adult Americans by the end of May, and he celebrated the fact that 65 percent of Americans over 65 have now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
"Tomorrow, we will hit 100 million doses our administration has administered," Biden said. "But I always said, that's just the floor. We will not stop until we beat this pandemic."
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Though Biden set the 100 million doses goal in December, Politico notes that when he took office in January, "the country was administering nearly 1 million shots per day — prompting questions about whether the new administration's target was ambitious enough." On Thursday, Biden promised to announce a new vaccination goal next week.
Biden also warned Americans that while "this is a time for optimism," it's "not a time for relaxation," and the public should continue to follow health precautions and get their vaccine when they can.
"I need you to get vaccinated when it's your turn, when you're able to do that," he added. "I need your help. I need you to help." Brendan Morrow
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