Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said Sunday that the U.S. needs a new national vaccine strategy, as President Biden's goal of vaccinating 70% of Americans by July 4 will likely not reach its target. Appearing on CBS' "Face the Nation," Gottlieb described the current vaccine rate as “lagging.”

Gottlieb said Americans may not feel a sense of urgency to get vaccinated in the summer months.

“People aren't going to be seeking out a vaccine in July and August," he said. "But as people contemplate going back to school and back to work in the fall, they will be seeking out vaccines. And I think that's what we need to think about that '2.0 Campaign' and a different strategy for delivering vaccine to those who remain unvaccinated.”

He added that a 2.0 Campaign would remind Americans that when the summer is over they will need to be aware that they need to be vaccinated again.

The 2.0 Campaign will also be a reminder that it is important to get vaccinated because of the new variants that are surfacing, along with the long-term effects of COVID-19.

Gottlieb explains how the new variant is showing up in the Midwest and South, where people are not vaccinated.

“This variant is probably 40%-60% more effective, more contagious than the 1.1.7 variant, that variant that became prevalent in the United States and caused that surge in the late spring. It doesn't necessarily appear more pathogenic, meaning more dangerous, but it's infecting people more easily and it's starting to become very prevalent in the U.K. in unvaccinated communities," he said.

The Biden administration recently hit a vaccine milestone. On Friday, Biden described the U.S. reaching 300 million shots in 150 days as "a truly American accomplishment."

In May, Biden had set a target to have 160 million U.S. adults fully vaccinated, as well as 70% of adults to at least be partially vaccinated by July 4.

Coronavirus