On the road toward a return to normalcy, the rapidly climbing number of Covid-19 vaccinations is good news. But a major challenge may lie ahead, a leading health expert says.
Tens of millions of Americans haven't started their vaccinations yet, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins told CNN on Wednesday, and "a lot of those folks are still not sure that they want to take part in this amazing opportunity to put this virus behind us."
"We have to really figure out how to get the messages out there so that those who are still undecided get the information they need to see why this is really something they would want to do."
A report published this week warned the country will likely reach a "tipping point" in the next two to four weeks and vaccine supply could outstrip demand. Parts of the country have already begun to see that pattern. And younger Americans, many of whom recently became eligible for a shot, are less likely than older residents to claim they have or will get vaccinated, a recent poll found.
But experts say the US needs much higher levels of vaccination to control the virus.
"If we're going to get past this terrible pandemic, it's going to take most of us being immunized. Otherwise, the virus can just keep going on and on," Collins said.
So far, roughly 40.5% of the US population has received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose and about 26.4% is fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Vaccine advisers at the CDC plan to meet Friday to discuss bringing Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine back into use. It was put on hold to investigate a potential link to serious blood clots.
Federal, state and local efforts are ongoing to push up the numbers of those vaccinated.
"I think our effort shifts, and it shifts to younger people who just don't think about Covid quite as much," Andy Slavitt, the White House senior adviser for Covid-19 response, told CNN.
In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan announced a new "all-hands-on-deck" effort to ensure every resident who wants a shot can get one as quickly as possible, including seniors and college students.
"We truly are close to that light at the end of the tunnel. Those of you who have not yet been vaccinated, please go get a vaccine as quickly as you can. Do it for yourself, do it for your family, do it for your friends, and do it so that all of us can put this global pandemic behind us," Hogan said in a statement.