One Big Reason Why COVID Vaccination Numbers Dropped This Week

The U.S. has been on a steady roll of doling out about 3 million vaccinations a day, but for the first time in weeks, that number dipped on Thursday, and the reason for its decline may continue to be a concern going forward.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than 89.2 million Americans were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, representing 26.9% of the U.S. population.

The agency also said that over 135.7 million people had received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine.

This would include one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna shots or Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which has been paused as the CDC and Food and Drug Administration evaluates it in light of at least six reports of rare blood clots in women following inoculations.

While there has been no conclusive link between the blood clots and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the CDC and FDA said they are meeting on Friday to determine if they will move forward with the shot with or without a warning based on the evidence presented.

But the pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which occurred on April 13, has had a significant effect on the number of doses administered to the American public. The U.S. had peaked at 3.4 million shots per day on April 13, the same day the FDA announced the pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to data from the CDC as reported by CNBC.

The J&J vaccine made up less than 4% of the 219 million doses administered across the nation to date, but because it was a single-dose shot, it was proving successful in certain communities, with an average vaccination rate of 425,000 shots per day at peak levels in mid-April, CNBC reported.

In total, over 7.5 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine have been administered.

Many states have surpassed the halfway mark in terms of the percentage of vaccinated adults that have received at least one dose of the vaccine. New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine, and Massachusetts have all reached the milestone, while Vermont, New Mexico, New Jersey, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania are nearing it, according to CNBC.

Eleven states are below the 35% threshold of vaccinated residents, the news outlet said.

On Wednesday, President Biden announced that he had met his goal of vaccinating 200 million Americans within his first 100 days in office. In a press briefing, Biden said about the achievement, “ This is an American achievement; a powerful demonstration of unity and resolve — what unity will do for us; and a reminder of what we can accomplish when we pull together as one people to a common goal. ”