President Joe Biden’s goal of having 70% of American adults vaccinated by July 4 has been threatened by the sagging rate of vaccinations around the country in recent weeks. According to recent trends reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 67% of adults in the U.S. are on track to receive vaccinations, according to an analysis by USA TODAY. Last week, 63% of adults received the COVID-19 vaccine for the first time, just slightly higher than the 62% who had received it the week before. There were only four vaccinations completed per 10,000 people in Alabama last week, according to data gathered by The Washington Post; the state had just as few vaccinations as Montana.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s leading expert on infectious diseases, said the slowdown was due to the fact that the “low-hanging fruit” has already been vaccinated. He spoke to community leaders on a White House call last week. There are already plans in place to counteract the slowdown. A month-long campaign has been launched by Vice President Biden to motivate American citizens to take up the challenge. A representative of Moderna said Monday it has filed an emergency use authorization request with Health Canada for the COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents. A vaccine made by Pfizer for children aged 12 to 15 has received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration “for this critical, younger-aged population.

In addition, Moderna announced it made data available for the conditional marketing approval for use of its vaccine in children in the 27-nation European Union. Pfizer and BioNTech have received approval from the EU drug regulator for their shot for children 12-15 years of age. Several days ago, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that when 70 percent of New York’s adult population has been at least partially vaccinated, the state’s remaining COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted. In New York City, the percent of people 18 and older who have received at least one shot has increased from 64.4% on Thursday to 68.6% today. As long as the state reaches the 70%-mark, emergency social distancing, screenings for health, and cleaning regulations will be rescinded for most businesses and social settings. Regardless of whether COVID protocols are retained or removed by businesses, the choice will be theirs.

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