WiNK
Vaccine Joe and the COVID-19 Pandemic:
by: Cole Breen
As more and more Americans get vaccinated against the Coronavirus we can all look forward to our country opening back up. As it stands, roughly 50% of the U.S. population has received a single dose of any of the COVID-19 Vaccines. Furthermore, an additional 40% of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated. And each of those respective numbers continues to climb every single day. As a positive consequence of burgeoning vaccination rates, many states have begun to loosen restrictions in terms of mask-wearing and social distancing. Connecticut actually sits among the top four most vaccinated states in the country. And for my New Yorkers, your state sits at number 11.
Much of these positive revelations come as a result of tireless efforts by many of America's healthcare workers and a successful vaccination and COVID-19 prevention program led by the Biden Administration. As a disclaimer, the previous Trump Administration certainly got the ball rolling in terms of starting America's vaccine programs, but the Biden administration deserves most of the praise when it comes to the massive restructuring efforts that allowed the country to quickly gain access to the COVID-19 Vaccines. In Joe Biden's first 100 days, he initially set the goal to administer 100 million vaccines before the end of his first 100 days in office. He delivered on that promise just 37 days into his administration. Subsequently, he set the follow up goal to have 200 million doses administered, and the country met the goal with a week to spare.
In my opinion I think that it's incredible that he has been able to follow through on such grandiose promises. It's a nice change of pace from last year when it looked like the light at the end of the tunnel was a million miles away. I sincerely believe that this country is headed in the right direction. In the President's own words, this is a "wartime effort." The Administration has had to use every resource available to it to tackle the challenges and demands that this pandemic has brought down upon this country and the world. And even all of that combined power hasn't been able to push some more hesitant Americans to get the vaccine. Before I go alienating members of this community, I want to say that I completely understand the concerns and the hesitancy that people have with these vaccines. You are entitled to your own opinions and to your own health decisions. There's no shame in making the right choice for yourself. Going off that point, there's still a significant minority of people that refuse to consider the possibility of taking the vaccine. That's something the Biden Administration will have to take into account as they continue their vaccination campaign. Herd Immunity is a priority for this country and it will be difficult to restore some semblance of normal life if we never get there. Beyond incentives, the Administration will have to find a way to convince the more skeptical members of the population. The Biden Administration is also in the midst of another massive vaccine campaign that is focused on exporting vaccines globally to countries that don't currently have enough resources to combat the pandemic. In an effort to make recovery efforts more effective and equitable, the administration has started the process of exporting around 80 million vaccines by the end of June. In response to questions about this effort, the President stated that, "We know America can never be fully safe until the pandemic that's raging globally is under control."
President Biden has set yet another goal. He wants 70% of Americans to be fully vaccinated by July 4th. He believes that by achieving this goal the U.S. can finally attain or get close to pulling off herd immunity. According to "Vaccine Joe'', the light at the end of the tunnel is finally starting to get here. In his own words, "America is heading into a summer dramatically different from last year's summer. A summer of freedom. A summer of joy. A summer of get-togethers and celebrations. An all-American summer that this country deserves after a long, long dark winter that we have all endured." I for one can get behind that kind of spirit. This is the last edition of WINK for this year. Unfortunately, that also means that this is my last article of the year as well. You'll have to wait until September to hear from me again. Thanks for reading my articles this year. I put a lot of work into them and I always appreciate when I get feedback. In the process of covering both the 2020 Election and the Biden Administration, I can say without a doubt that this country is headed to a much better place. I think that's something we can all look forward to.
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