WASHINGTON, D.C. — The White House predicts nearly half of all adults in the United States will have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine by the end of this week.
Americans are celebrating potentially lifesaving shots in the fight against COVID-19, but top medical experts continue to emphasize the importance of wearing face masks.
“I’m ready to get back to living my life so that will be exciting,” said Brady White of Commerce City, Colorado.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said as of Monday, around 121 million people had gotten one shot.
That’s 36% of the population.
The CDC reports more than 74 million Americans are fully vaccinated.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden, is asking people to stay the course by getting vaccinated and not focusing on herd immunity.
“We’ve made estimates that is somewhere between 70 and 85%, but we don’t know that as a fact, so rather than concentrating on an elusive number, let’s get as many people vaccinated as quickly as we possibly can,” he said.
Fauci said he would now be comfortable eating outdoors at a restaurant or going to a baseball game, but he recommends wearing a mask.
This browser does not support the video element.