US passes 100 million COVID-19 vaccinations

The United States has passed 100 million vaccine doses administered, a big milestone that shows the pace of the vaccination campaign is accelerating.

The U.S. also set a new record for shots administered in a day on Friday, at 2.9 million, according to the White House, with the seven-day average up to 2.3 million per day.

About 35 million people have been fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while about 65 million have received at least one dose.

Almost 65 percent of people over age 65 have received at least one dose, up from 8 percent when President Biden took office, the White House said.

Biden has set a goal of 100 million shots in his first 100 days in office, starting from Jan. 20 when he became president, rather than mid-December when the first shots were given, a mark he suggested he would reach by his 60th day in office.

“Tonight, I can say we are not only going to meet that goal, we’re going to beat that goal,” Biden said in a prime-time address Thursday night. “Because we’re actually on track to reach this goal of 100 million shots in arms on my 60th day in office. No other country in the world has done this. None.”

The United States compares favorably to the European Union, which has vaccinated less than half the number of people, according to data compiled by Our World in Data.

The vaccines were developed in record time during the Trump administration, and the country was averaging about 900,000 shots per day when Trump left office. That number has climbed as supply increased and as Biden has expanded mass vaccination sites, and sent vaccines to more pharmacies and community health centers.

Biden said Thursday every American adult will be eligible by May 1 at the latest.