Biden ramps up vaccinations but warns 'war is far from won'

WASHINGTON • US President Joe Biden's administration announced a raft of new actions to expand the national immunisation campaign and ensure that 90 per cent of adults will be eligible for vaccination against the coronavirus by April 19.

But he warned on Monday that "the war against Covid-19 is far from won", and blasted people responsible for "reckless behaviour we've seen on television over the past few weeks" that had left the world's worst-hit country on the brink of a fresh surge.

The new vaccination measures include increasing the number of pharmacies participating in a federal immunisation programme from 17,000 to nearly 40,000, while creating a dozen more mass vaccination sites within three weeks. It also includes US$100 million (S$135 million) in funding to help vaccinate vulnerable and at-risk older adults and people with disabilities.

The overall goal is to ensure 90 per cent of adults will have a vaccination site within 8km of where they live.

The moves came after Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, highlighted worrying trends in the data that signalled the United States could soon follow Europe into another wave.

The rate of infection in the US had been plateauing for several weeks but is now once more on the rise, with the most recent data showing the seven-day average at close to 60,000 new daily cases.

That represents an increase of 10 per cent over the prior seven-day period, while hospitalisations are up to 4,800 per day from 4,600 comparing the same timeframes.

Deaths have risen 3 per cent to around 1,000 per day.

"I'm going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom," Dr Walensky, a former front-line physician who treated Covid-19 patients earlier on in the pandemic, said in an emotional plea.

"We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are, and so much reason for hope. But right now, I'm scared."

American health workers have now administered 143 million shots and 16 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, including half of the over-65s.

The number of doses injected accounts for some 26 per cent of the world's total, despite the fact that the country makes up only 4 per cent of the global population.

New York announced on Monday that it will make all adult residents eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine by April 6, a symbolic shift in the state's recovery from a deadly pandemic that has killed tens of thousands and crippled the state's economy.

Yet the expansion will significantly test the state's health apparatus, which will face a flood of newly eligible residents seeking coveted appointments while the vaccine supply just matches demand.

The race to vaccinate New Yorkers comes at a critical time during the pandemic: The state is recording new cases of the virus at one of the highest rates in the country, with several more contagious variants of the virus continuing to spread.

"We can see the light at the end of the tunnel but until we get there, it is more important than ever for each and every New Yorker to wear a mask, socially distance and follow all safety guidelines," Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement on Monday.

New York will first allow residents aged 30 and above to begin receiving vaccinations from yesterday. It will then expand to all those 16 and older on April 6. The expansion comes one year after the worst period of the initial coronavirus outbreak in New York state.

Security guard Asante Mensah, 42, who lives in New York City, broke into a smile when he learnt he would soon be eligible for the vaccine. "It feels so great," he said.

Resident Samra Albertine, 17, said she intends to make an appointment as soon as she is eligible. "It makes me less likely to get the virus," she said. "And I want to see more people."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NYTIMES