This post was originally published on this site
The push for Americans to get vaccinated for the coronavirus-borne illness COVID-19 got support from what many might view as an unlikely source, as former President Donald Trump recommended that his supporters get it, nearly half of who have said they wouldn’t.
That endorsement comes as the U.S. continued to lead the world by far in the number of people who have been fully vaccinated, but also continues to lead the world by far in COVID-19 cases and deaths.
“I would recommend [the vaccine]. And I would recommend it to a lot of people that don’t want to get it, and a lot of those people voted for me, frankly,” Trump said in a phone interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, as MarketWatch’s Mike Murphy reported.
“And we have our freedoms and we have to live by that, and I agree with that also,” Trump said. “It’s a great vaccine and it’s a safe vaccine.”
Although he spoke in the singular form, there are three vaccines currently authorized for use in the U.S., two two-dose vaccines developed by Moderna Inc.
MRNA,
and Pfizer Inc.
PFE,
and BioNTech SE
BNTX,
and a one-dose vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson.
JNJ,
Over the weekend, Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, had said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that, “It makes absolutely no sense,” regarding data showing 47% of people who had voted for Trump said they would choose not to get vaccinated. See past Coronavirus Update columns.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Trump and his wife, Melania, received COVID-19 vaccinations before leaving the White House, behind closed doors, while other government leaders, including then-Vice President Mike Pence, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and President Joe Biden were vaccinated on camera.
Don’t miss: Fewer people take a ‘wait and see’ approach to COVID-19 vaccine — here’s what changed their minds.
Trump’s endorsement should provide support for the U.S.’s vaccination effort, which puts it among the top group of countries in the world.
The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 142,918,525 vaccine doses have been delivered, and a total of 110,737,856 arms have been jabbed.
The total vaccines administered includes 72,135,616 people, or 21.7% of the population, who have received at least one dose, and 39,042,345 people, or 11.8% of the population, who have been fully vaccinated.
The U.S. total of people fully vaccinated, based on data from Johns Hopkins University, is more than six times that of second-place India, at 6.2 million people. Israel is third at about 4.4 million fully vaccinated, but is second in percent of population at 49.1%, behind Gibraltar at 55.3%.
Johns Hopkins University & Medicine
Meanwhile, the U.S. leads in total number of COVID-19 cases with 29,551,691, or 24.5% of the global total of 120,848,053 cases, the JHU data shows. And the U.S. also leads in deaths with 536,980, or 20.1% of the global total of 2,673,202.
On Tuesday, at least 54,440 new cases were reported in the U.S., down from 57,083 on Monday. The average of 54,954 cases per day over the past week was down from the average of 55,153 as of Monday, and 16% below the average from two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths increased to at least 1,245 on Tuesday from 751 the day before.
And there’s a concern that a new surge in cases could be on the horizon, given the spread of more transmissible variants and as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was seeing “the crest of a third wave forming in member states.” Keep in mind that Dr. Fauci has said that Europe has been a few weeks ahead of the U.S. with new surges.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky testified Wednesday that up to 30% of all new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are believed to be the result of the B.1.1.7 variant, a new SARS-CoV-2 strain that is thought to be spread more easily and possibly be more deadly, as MarketWatch’s Jaimy Lee reported. The B.1.1.7 variant was first detected in the U.K.
And Europe’s surge in cases comes as many European Union countries have suspended administration of the AstraZeneca PLC’s
AZN,
AZN,
vaccine, amid concerns over side effects, even as the World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency have stressed that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.
The EC proposed on Thursday the creation of a COVID-19 travel pass — a Digital Green Certificate — granted to European Union residents who can prove they have been vaccinated, to allow them to travel more freely with in the block, as MarketWatch’s Lina Saigol reported.
Latest tallies
The global tally for confirmed cases of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 climbed to 120,848,053, while the death toll rose to 2,673,202.
More than 68.5 million people have recovered from COVID, the data show.
Brazil has the second highest death toll at 282,127 and is second by cases at 11,603,535. India is third worldwide in cases with 11,438,734, and is fourth in deaths at 159,044.
Mexico has the third highest death toll at 195,119 but is 13th in cases at 2,169,007. The U.K. is fifth globally with 4,282,203 cases, while its death toll of 125,927 was the fifth highest in the world and the highest in Europe.
China, where the virus was first discovered late last year, has had 101,454 confirmed cases and 4,839 deaths, according to its official numbers
