President Biden’s July 4 Vaccine Goal at Risk of Not Being Met, Data Shows

The U.S. managing to meet President Biden’s July 4 vaccine goal is now a “very unlikely” outcome, per a new report detailing the current patterns in vaccination data nationwide.

Per the results of a week-long analysis from the Washington Post, the U.S. is currently averaging less than one million shots each day, which marks a decline of more than two-thirds when compared with the peak of 3.4 million in April. This decline in vaccine rates is shown nationwide, with especially low numbers recorded in Alabama and other areas in the South and Midwest.

And while several states have already hit Biden’s nationwide vaccination goal of 70 percent or more with at least one shot, several others have fallen far behind. Quoted in the Post piece, by way of a transcript of a White House-arranged phone call with community leaders last week, is Dr. Anthony Fauci. Biden’s chief medical advisor said on Friday, per the report, that those who have yet to begin their vaccination process may represent a group that needs to hear from “trusted messengers” about the importance and safety of the vaccine.

Given current circumstances, i.e. slowing vaccination rates, health officials have expressed concerns over the possibility of not meeting Biden’s goal next month. If that goal is met, however, the full report—available from Dan Diamond, Dan Keating, and Chris Moody’s here—makes it clear that such a feat should be credited to health officials nationwide, particularly those in more vaccine-hesitant regions.