Nation hits 1M vaccinations benchmark for first time in seven weeks

More than one million Americans received a dose of Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday, a benchmark the nation has not met in nearly seven weeks amid a resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic.

White House Covid-19 Data Director Cyrus Shahpar announced the vaccine upswing on Twitter, noting a 31 percent week-over-week increase in the daily average of those becoming fully vaccinated. He said Thursday’s numbers include 562,000 newly vaccinated people.

This new data comes amid a continuing push by the White House to get Americans vaccinated as the Delta variant spreads and Covid-19 cases surge in many parts of the country. The vaccine remains effective at preventing serious Covid-19 infection and death, and the White House has repeatedly called the virus a “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” as the majority of those dying from Covid-19 haven’t gotten their shot yet.