Covid-19 Vaccine: More Than 176 Million Shots Given
(Bloomberg) – The biggest vaccination campaign in history is underway. More than 176 million doses have been administered across 78 countries, according to data collected by Bloomberg. The latest rate was roughly 5.99 million doses a day.
In the U.S., more Americans have now received at least one dose than have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began. So far, 54.6 million doses have been given, according to a state-by-state tally. In the last week, an average of 1.64 million doses per day were administered.
The first stage of the U.S. rollout fell short of federal projections as vaccinations proceeded unevenly across the states. After focusing first on hospitals and other institutional health-care settings, the next phase of vaccinations will draw more on pharmacies and health clinics—places where vaccines are more traditionally administered—and will broaden the pool of people eligible to get the shots. Some states are turning sport stadiums and theme parks into mass vaccination centers.
The Path to Immunity in the U.S.
In the U.S., the latest vaccination rate is 1,699,303 doses per day, on average. At this rate, it will take an estimated 8 months to cover 75% of the population with a two-dose vaccine.
In an effort to speed up vaccinations after the rocky start, the U.S. government on Jan. 12 began encouraging states to start immunizing all residents 65 and older, along with those ages 16 and older with certain medical conditions. The directive would open vaccinations up to more than a third of the U.S. population. The Biden administration has said that it’s working to expand the supply of vaccines to help meet that goal.
Distribution of Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine, as well as Moderna’s shot is directed by the federal government. Both vaccines require two doses taken several weeks apart. So far, 39.2 million have received at least one dose. At least 14.9 million people have completed the two-dose vaccination regimen.
Global Effort to Stop Covid
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has now been cleared for use across North America, Europe and the Middle East, and vaccination campaigns have begun in at least 78 countries. That shot and the vaccine from Moderna were both found to reduce coronavirus infections by 95% in trials of tens of thousands of volunteers. A vaccine by AstraZeneca Plc and University of Oxford got its first major authorization, by the U.K., on Dec. 30.
Other countries got a head start on vaccinations. China and Russia authorized their own shots in July and August, before they’d been fully tested. Since then, the countries have administered millions of doses, though they provide less frequent updates on their progress.
When will life return to normal? It’s a complicated question and the subject of debate among epidemiologists. While the best vaccines are thought to be about 95% effective, it may still be possible to spread the disease after getting inoculated. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious-disease official in the U.S., has said that vaccinating 70% to 85% of the U.S. population would enable a return to normalcy.
On a global scale, that’s a daunting level of vaccination. Shots are currently being reported at an average rate of 5.99 million a day. At that pace it would take years to achieve a significant level of global immunity. The rate, however, is steadily increasing, and new vaccines by additional manufacturers may soon be available.
The Path to Immunity Around the World
Globally, the latest vaccination rate is 6,254,400 doses per day, on average. At this rate, it will take an estimated 5 years to cover 75% of the population with a two-dose vaccine.
With the start of the global vaccination campaign, countries have experienced unequal access to vaccines and varying degrees of efficiency in getting shots into people’s arms. Israel’s rate of innoculations dwarfs the efforts of other nations, with 72.1 doses administered for every 100 people. Most countries haven’t yet given their first shots.
Delivering billions of vaccines to stop the spread of Covid-19 worldwide will be one of the greatest logistical challenges ever undertaken.
Race to End the Pandemic
Israel leads all countries with 72.1 doses per 100 people
Vaccine Timeline
Bloomberg is tracking the development of nine of the globe’s most promising vaccines. A total of seven vaccines are now available for public use, in limited quantities, in at least 78 countries.
Nations have poured billions of dollars into developing new vaccine technologies, testing them in thousands of volunteers, scaling up manufacturing, and then bringing them to market in record time.
None of these shots, on its own, is enough to inoculate a global population of some 7.8 billion people. But together they represent humanity’s best chance of ending a scourge that has claimed more than 2.2 million lives and triggered global economic calamity.
