There have been over 591,000 deaths due to COVID-19 in the United States and 3.49 million worldwide since the outbreak began in 2019. However, more and more Americans are becoming eligible to get one of the three available COVID-19 vaccinations: Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson.

President Joe Biden has set the goal to get at least 70% of the U.S population vaccinated with one dose by the Fourth of July to drastically improve immunity levels as quickly as possible. 

While more than a month away, making this deadline will be challenging, said Maryanne Hicks, LMC Nursing Department Co-Chair, explaining they will need “workforce to manage distribution, nurses who will do the vaccinations, coordinators for scheduling, etc.” 

However, even with these challenges, many think the goal is reachable. 

“Even though some states are not ordering the recommended vaccine doses, the majority of the U.S. population resides in a handful of coastal and urban settings,” said LMC student Connor Achziger. “These regions seem to be very actively supporting the vaccination effort at the state and local levels.”

While certain states not ordering the needed vaccines is a cause for concern, there are ways that this issue can be resolved. With proper measures taken to study vaccine accessibility, it can be ensured that enough people are getting vaccinated. 

“For other states not ordering the allotted vaccines, the reasons behind this should be appropriately investigated, reviewed and analyzed for proper measures to help resolve the issue,” said Hicks. 

One thing that has been done to encourage an increase in vaccine rates is businesses having special promotions for vaccinated people. With these special deals, people are rewarded for getting the much-needed vaccine. 

While this pandemic has lingered for over a year, a return to normal is in sight, as long as enough people take the precautions necessary and get the vaccine when available to them. Education about the vaccine, an increase in available doses and support from individual people and companies may help the United States get there.