Health Experts Worry For the Unprotected as US Vaccination Efforts Bottom Out
The vaccination drive in the U.S. is grinding to a halt, and demand has all but collapsed in places where the local populations have already seen Omicron blaze through them like a wildfire. And with COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths subsiding across the U.S., people who are against getting vaccinated don’t see much reason to change their minds.
About 76% of the U.S. population has received at least one shot, and less than 65% of all Americans are fully vaccinated. The average number of Americans getting their first shot is down to about 90,000 a day, the lowest point since the first few days of the U.S. vaccination campaign in December 2020. And any hopes of any substantial improvement in the immediate future have largely evaporated thanks to state governors lifting mask mandates and other COVID protocols by or before the end of March.
But even as case numbers drop, health experts warn the Coronavirus isn’t done with America regardless of how Americans feel about it. They especially caution that lifting indoor mask mandates is an invitation to the unvaccinated to continue to spread a virus that has shown how easily it can adapt and mutate.
📍There is new emerging data from CDC Data tracker showing surging pediatric #Covid19 deaths. AAP also shows a surge (their reporting is slower & less complete). NVSS is waiting for certificate delivery to CDC. ➡️But this is worrisome.
HT @greg_travis https://t.co/uNcL2PcBoa pic.twitter.com/f7piiHwicH
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 23, 2022
New data also indicates a fourth vaccination may be needed by the fall of 2022 to maintain resistance to any remaining coronavirus as the country moves into the flu season.
Fox News/Business host Neil Cavuto explains on air that he was out for a while because he was hospitalized with Covid, adds, "doctors say that had I not been vaccinated at all, I wouldn't be here."
"I'm not here to debate vaccinations for you. Just offer an explanation for me." pic.twitter.com/DwI5dKZAL3
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 21, 2022
The lack of demand for the first round of vaccinations is especially evident in conservative areas around the country, despite having the highest rates of COVID in America.
EARLIER: "We're moving toward a time when Covid isn't a crisis but is something we can protect against and treat," says White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients as the U.S. hits a 75% vaccination rate among adults pic.twitter.com/a8FmmtGW6R
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) February 17, 2022