AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
By Irwin Redlener and Sean Hansen
As the rate of vaccinations continues at a record pace, Americans are increasingly emerging from their long and dark winter hibernation with a sense of cautious optimism and hope for a more ‘normal’ summer.
There are in fact signs of hope. More than one-third of U.S adults have now received at least one dose of the vaccine, marking a significant milestone on the march towards herd immunity. And with more than 78 percent of people over the age of 65 vaccinated (with at least one dose), mortality rates have plunged since their January high.
Closely following the data, the Biden administration recently moved up its deadline for opening up vaccine eligibility for all U.S. adults to April 19. In doing so, President Biden was only formalizing what was already underway: the vast majority of states had already set more aggressive timelines for opening up vaccine eligibility to all adults. With more than 3 million doses being administered each day — on average — the U.S. could well be on track to have all adults vaccinated by mid-summer.
Unfortunately, there are also reasons for concern.
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