The number of Americans who died from Covid-19 reached 600,012, according to data from Johns Hopkins University – the most of any nation. The U.S. is also the highest in the total number of recorded cases, with nearly 33.5 million infections since 2020.
This latest milestone comes because President Joe Biden’s goal of vaccinating 70% of American adults by July 4 is likely to fail more and more.
More than 173 million people, about 52% of the U.S., have had at least one dose. Brazil and India reported the next highest death rate, with Brazil at more than 488,000 deaths and India at more than 377,000.
It took about four months before the U.S. went from 500,000 to 600,000 deaths – about as long as it took from no one to 100,000. This is a significant change in the height of the pandemic when the death toll rose from 300,000 to 400,000 in one month last year.
But the country’s vaccination rate has started to drop to about 1 million doses administered per day – from a peak in April of almost 3.4 million. About 43% of the U.S. population, or about 144 million Americans, are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). The CDC says that people are fully vaccinated at least two weeks after their final vaccine dose.
This comes as the CDC officially describes the Delta mutation, first discovered in India, as a “variant of concern”. The effects of Delta variants account for 10% of all new infections, the CDC said, increasing compared to the dominant Alpha variant, first identified in Kent, UK.
Although a majority of adult Americans have received at least one dose, the percentages vary greatly from state to state. Vermont has vaccinated 71% of its residents in full, but only 36% of Mississippians have received both blows, according to a New York Times database.
A recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that about a third of American adults do not want to be vaccinated yet. As a result, states and companies offer countless incentives for vaccines.
Ohio selected one vaccinated resident each week to win $ 1 million (£ 708,000). On Tuesday, California will give $ 1.5 million each to 10 residents. Other winning items include alcohol, cannabis, guns, food stamps and gift cards.
The White House is also promoting vaccinations, with Vice President Kamala Harris embarking on a national tour on Monday to promote jabs.
The same day, U.S. drugmaker Novavax announced that its vaccination was 90.4% effective after testing 30,000 participants.
If this vaccine is finally approved, it will be the fourth coronavirus vaccine to hit the U.S. market