PoliticoUS hits 70 per cent vaccination goal amid surging Delta variant

White House Covid-19 Data Director Cyrus Shahpar said on Twitter that at least 70 per cent of adults have at least one shot

Vaccination rates have climbed in recent days, buoyed in part by the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus

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A nurse prepares a dose of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine in Los Angeles. Photo: Getty Images / AFP

Published: 4:49am, 3 Aug 2021Updated: 10:08am, 3 Aug 2021

This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Maeve Sheehey on politico.com on August 2, 2021.

The United States on Monday hit the Joe Biden administration’s goal of administering at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose to 70 per cent of American adults, reaching the milestone just shy of one month late.

White House Covid-19 Data Director Cyrus Shahpar announced the milestone on Twitter, disclosing that the seven-day average of newly vaccinated Americans is at its highest point since July 4. In the Tweet, Shahpar said at least 70 per cent of adults have had at least one shot.

The Biden administration spent weeks touting its much-publicised goal of hitting the 70 per cent vaccination mark by the July Fourth holiday, a date the White House nonetheless celebrated as something of a return to normal for a pandemic-weary nation. Even after the nation fell short of his vaccination goal, US President Joe Biden hosted a celebratory barbecue at the White House for military members, frontline workers and first responders.

Vaccination numbers continued to flag over the course of the summer though as sceptical segments of the US population refused shots, despite an intense publicity push and million-dollar-lottery incentives in several states. Vaccination rates have climbed in recent days, buoyed in part by the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, which has spiked cases and hospitalisations nationwide – hitting areas with low vaccination rates especially hard.