While the number of new domestic cases continues falling, the U.S. nonetheless surpassed another grim milestone in the battle against the global coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday, the U.S. reported more than 600,000 dead from COVID, and the nation continues to lead the world in number of overall cases. Data from Johns Hopkins University of Medicine show the U.S. at more than 33.4 million cases.
India is second in the world in number of cases, at 29.5 million, followed by Brazil with 17.4 million. Other than the U.S., however, Brazil has more deaths than any other nation with more than 488,000. India is third in deaths at more than 377,000.
Also Tuesday, the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention elevated the delta COVID-19 variant as a “variant of concern,” according to Fox News. However, researchers have determined that two doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective against it.
The U.S. is increasingly unlikely to meet President Joe Biden’s target to have 70% of Americans at least partially vaccinated by July 4. Nonetheless, the White House has announced plans to celebrate July 4 as part of “a summer of freedom” to celebrate a return to pre-pandemic life.
About 15.5 million unvaccinated adults need to receive at least one dose in the next four weeks for Biden to meet his goal. But the pace of new vaccinations in the U.S. has dropped below 400,000 people per day — down from a high of nearly 2 million per day two months ago.
The White House has launched a monthlong blitz to combat vaccine hesitancy and a lack of urgency to get shots, particularly in the South and Midwest, but it is increasingly resigned to missing the president’s vaccination target. The administration insists that even if the goal isn’t reached, it will have little effect on the overall U.S. recovery, which is already ahead of where Biden said it would be months ago.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told reporters at a recent briefing that he still hopes the goal will be met “and if we don’t, we’re going to continue to keep pushing.”
Fauci said the administration is “pleading” with states, particularly those with low vaccination rates, to step up their efforts in the coming months, though some of the states trailing behind are hardly sharing the urgency.
On a recent conference call, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients delivered a call for governors to join the administration in “pulling out all the stops” on vaccinations this month.
Biden is on his first overseas trip as president.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
About the Author
