Biden Unlikely to Reach July 4th Vaccination Goal

In this week's brief coronavirus update — with the 4th of July two weeks away — it's unlikely the US will reach the 70% vaccination rate President Biden set earlier this year. Instead, Biden is focusing on another metric. Here's the quick recap of the past week, including vaccine, infection, health, and travel news.

Here's the special announcement on the changes from our founder, Ryder.

Biden Focuses on 300 Million Shots Achievement

In Biden's first 150 days in office, the US has gotten 300 million shots in people's arms. However the pace of vaccinations has been slowing.

According to a fact sheet distributed to press on Friday, June 18, 15 states and Washington DC have gotten at least 70% of adults one shot. The document proclaims: “The results are clear: America is starting to look like America again, and entering a summer of joy and freedom,” the document proclaimed.

The Pace of US Vaccinations Continues to Slow

The number of Americans getting their first shot has been dropping steadily, from about 500,000 a day to about 200,000 a day recently.

Experts say that from a disease control perspective, the difference between 67% — the new July 4th projection — and 70% is insignificant.

The US Surpasses 600,000 COVID Deaths

The pace of infections and deaths has slowed considerably in the US, although concern over the highly contagious Delta variant continues to grow.

Meanwhile, California and New York lifted nearly all of their remaining restrictions on businesses and social gatherings, a key sign of the turn toward recovery from the pandemic.

The US sends 2.5 million doses of Moderna's vaccine to help Taiwan battle its first major outbreak.

Around the world, China is close to administering its billionth COVID shot. Officials have ramped up inoculations by offering modest incentives like free eggs and water bottles.

In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a four-week delay to full reopening after a spike in cases of the Delta variant.

In Singapore, some people started receiving a COVID vaccine from the Chinese company Sinovac, even as one of the city-state's top health officials cast doubt on its effectiveness.

Canada Extends Border Closure For Another Month

Border restrictions on non-essential travel between Canada and the U.S. will be extended until July 21, Canadian officials said Friday, as the country works to get a higher percentage of Canadians fully vaccinated.

Canada's Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the move has been made in coordination with the U.S., where there are growing calls to open the border for nonessential travel like tourism.

“We’re still seeing cases across the country and we want to get them down," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. "At the same time we also know we have to hit our targets of 75% vaccinated with the first dose and at least 20% vaccinated with the second dose before we can start loosening things up because even a fully vaccinated individual can pass on COVID-19 to someone who is not vaccinated."

Here's where you can currently travel with a negative test or full vaccination.