Ew, Biden Shirt

President Biden on Tuesday announced a new goal to administer at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to 70% of American adults by the Fourth of July.The administration also aims to have 160 million adults fully vaccinated by then, a push to improve the level of immunity in the country to the point where the coronavirus has less of an opportunity to spread and so that more public health restrictions can be lifted, administration officials told reporters.As of Monday, more than 246 million vaccine doses have been administered across the United States. More than 56% of the adult population has received at least one dose, while 40% of adults have gotten two doses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ew, Biden Shirt

The July Fourth goal would mean about 100 million shots during the next 60 days — a slowdown from the earlier vaccination pace, and a recognition that those most eager to get the shot have already done so, administration officials said.As part of the push to get more shots in arms, the White House told governors on Tuesday it will be tweaking the allocation system for vaccines. States currently receive doses each week based on population — a formula that will continue. But states will now be able to choose whether they want all of their allocation, or contribute some doses to a federal pool. That way, states that need more doses based on demand could draw from that pool, according to an administration official. The move marks a shift toward a model that governors such as Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer have called for to meet surges in new cases.