Biden set to hit goal of 100 million COVID-19 vaccine shots in first 100 days over a month ahead of schedule
Carolyn Kaster/AP
- Biden is set to hit the goal of 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days as early as Thursday.
- The president set this goal before he was inaugurated.
- By last week, the US was administering 2.4 million COVID-19 vaccines per day.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
President Joe Biden is poised to hit a top goal he set for his first 100 days in the White House - 100 million vaccine shots in the arms of Americans - as early as Thursday, NBC News White House correspondent Geoff Bennett reported.
Before he was inaugurated, Biden underscored the importance of ramping up the pace of vaccination in the US. In early December, he unveiled a three-part plan to crush COVID-19 in his first 100 days - including complete 100 million vaccine shots.
Biden's 100th day in office will be April 30, which means he's set to hit this goal over a month ahead of schedule.
When asked if Biden would mark this milestone with any public remarks, a White House official told Insider the president "will discuss our progress toward our 100 million shots in 100 days goal." Biden is expected to make a statement on reaching this goal on Thursday, the official said.
The president on Monday said that he expected to hit the goal of 100 million vaccinations in the next 10 days.
"It's here, sooner than many ever thought possible," Biden said in comments at the White House. "Over the next 10 days, we will reach two giant goals: One hundred million shots in people's arms and 100 million checks in people's pockets."
As of Thursday, there have been over 113 million COVID-19 vaccines administered in the US, per data from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccination began when former President Donald Trump was still in office, but the rollout was messy and the US got off to a sluggish start.
In late January, Biden said he believed the US could get up to a rate of 1.5 million vaccinations per day and complete 150 million vaccinations in his first 100 days.
Last week, vaccinations in the US hit a record rate of 2.4 million per day, alongside a 22% decline in deaths from COVID-19.
But as the US begins to see the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of the pandemic, experts are warning against easing up on precautions too early.
-TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 18, 2021
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the US, in an appearance on "TODAY" on Thursday said, "There are some states now that are pulling back a bit more prematurely than they should on the public health measures."
"It's a race between the vaccine and the virus," Fauci added.
As of Thursday, there have been nearly 30 million confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US, and over 538,000 reported deaths, per data from Johns Hopkins.
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