Biden marks 50 million vaccine doses in first five weeks in office

Days after marking a solemn milestone in the pandemic, the president is celebrating the pace of his efforts to end it

On Thursday, President Joe Biden marked the administration of the 50 millionth dose of Covid-19 vaccine since his swearing-in. The moment came days after the nation reached the devastating milestone of 500,000 coronavirus deaths and before a meeting with the nation’s governors on plans to speed the distribution even further.

“The more people get vaccinated, the faster we’re going to beat this pandemic,” Mr Biden said at the White House ceremony, noting that his administration is on course to exceed his promise to deliver 100 million shots in his first 100 days in office.

“We’re halfway there: 50 million shots in 37 days,” Mr Biden said. “That’s weeks before schedule.”

All told, more than 45 million Americans have been administered at least one dose of the approved vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna since they received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in December, with more than 20 million receiving both required doses.

As part of the ceremony, four front-line workers — a pair of emergency medical technicians, a school counsellor and a grocery store worker — received vaccine doses on live television, part of the White House’s efforts to build confidence in the vaccination programme.

Mr Biden noted predictions that by late spring there will be enough vaccines to administer to anyone that wants it, but that hesitance of the vaccine will limit the number of people who want it. “We’ll have the vaccine waiting,” Mr Biden said, predicting that point could come within 60 to 90 days.

He promised a “massive campaign to educate people” about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines in hopes of stimulating demand as the nation aims to vaccinate about 80 per cent of adults to reach herd immunity and end the pandemic.

Mr Biden said he planned to tour a US-military run vaccination site in Houston, Texas, on Friday.

Mr Biden noted the promise of a third vaccine receiving approval as soon as this weekend, as Johnson & Johnson's single-dose candidate undergoes review by the Food and Drug Administration.

“We have a plan to roll it out as quickly as Johnson & Johnson can make it,” Mr Biden said.

Still Mr Biden said that variants could continue to spread, leading to more cases and hospital admissions. He appealed to Americans to continue to follow social distancing measures and wear face coverings.

“This is not the time to relax,” he said.