The U.S. has been administering doses of the Covid-19 vaccine since mid-December. As health departments across the country get their vaccination efforts up and running—some more successfully than others—President Biden’s administration is hoping to quicken the process.
As of mid-January, there was an average of almost 900,000 people getting their first doses of the vaccine each day. This pace might change, but based on the recent rate, it might take a year—until January 2022—for every American to get at least one shot, according to data analyzed by The Wall Street Journal. The projection provides a snapshot at the current trajectory, although it is conceivable that not everyone will receive a vaccine. The projection overstates the current progress because the two vaccines currently approved for emergency use in the U.S.—one made by Pfizer Inc. and its partner BioNTech SE and the other developed by Moderna Inc. —require two doses for full vaccination.
Since mid-December, more than 14 million people—about 4% of the population—have received at least one dose as of Jan. 20, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A vaccine from Johnson & Johnson , which could seek U.S. emergency-use authorization as soon as February, only requires a single dose and could shorten the projection. Moreover, the rate of vaccination has been improving, with the first three weeks of the rollout averaging about 216,000 a day.
Last week Mr. Biden gave details of his $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief plan, which includes a move to provide funding to states for improved distribution and to help set up community vaccination sites. He has said his administration aims to deliver 100 million doses administered in his first 100 days in office. If such a pace continued, and if each of the shots was given to someone who hasn’t received the vaccine yet, it could take until early December for everyone to receive at least one shot.
