Europe could sprint ahead of U.S. vaccination rates: report

Europe could surpass the United States in COVID-19 vaccination rates as it overcomes an initially slow rollout while the U.S.’s rate has mostly stalled.

Enrico Bucci, a systems biologist at Temple University, told The Wall Street Journal that Europe could surpass the U.S. in vaccinations in three weeks.

The U.S. has 54 percent of citizens 12 years or older vaccinated with at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, while the European Union has 49 percent partially vaccinated, Our World in Data, a global vaccine rollout tracker by Oxford University said, the Journal reported.

Some countries in the EU have already surpassed the U.S. rate, such as Belgium, Italy and Denmark, according to the Journal.

The U.S. had an aggressive start to its vaccine rollout with millions of citizens getting vaccinated a day, but the numbers have dropped as the country works to reach those who are more hesitant about getting the shot.

The White House has acknowledged that it would miss its goal of getting at least one dose to 70 percent of American adults by July 4.

The hesitancy is leaving some states vulnerable to the virus, such as Arkansas, home to some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country and one that recently reported a spike in cases for the first time in four months.

However, Europe has seen the number of vaccinated individuals increase dramatically.