The number of people vaccinated in the United States exceeded the number of cases last Saturday (6). By that date, 29,776,160 million people had received two doses of the vaccine, while infections totaled 28,952,970.
After a start to December under criticism due to the low rate of application of doses, with an average of 900 thousand injections per day between December and January, the United States reached 5.3 million vaccinations given over the weekend last, with the record 2.9 million just on Saturday.
The acceleration came with the opening of mass vaccination centers, in stadiums and sports arenas and in 18 warehouses of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema, in the acronym in English), many of which are open 24 hours a day.
Many states also allow supermarkets and pharmacies to apply, in addition to hospitals and medical centers.
It also works in favor of greater acceptance of the vaccine by Americans. A study published Friday (5) by the Pew Research Center showed that 69% plan to receive – or have already received – the vaccine, a rate that was already 60% in November.
President Joe Biden has pledged that by the end of May there will be doses for all adults in the country who wish to be vaccinated, two months before the originally announced deadline.
The United States has seen a steady decline in cases since the start of the year. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the country has recorded an average of 60,000 new cases per day – up from 260,000 in January – and the daily death toll is around 1,700. Two months ago, the victims went from 4,000 in 24 hours.
As of Tuesday (9), 32.1 million had been fully vaccinated, equivalent to 9.6% of the U.S. population. For this group, the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) says it is possible to take a first step towards the new normal, with meetings of vaccinees in small groups without masks.
In the United States, there are three vaccines approved for use – those from Pfizer and Moderna, with two doses each, and Janssen, with a single application.