The U.S. neared the mark of 100 million vaccinated as fans returned to Major League Baseball stadiums.
Virus cases on rise as baseball season begins
The U.S. moved closer Thursday toward vaccinating 100 million Americans in a race against an uptick in COVID-19 cases that is fueling fears of another nationwide surge as the Major League Baseball season starts and thousands of fans return to stadiums.
More than 99 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and more than 56 million people — 17 percent of the nation’s population — have been fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A total of 154 million vaccines had been administered as of Thursday. President Joe Biden’s new goal is to give 200 million vaccine doses during his first 100 days in office.
But coronavirus infections are inching up again, and officials have warned that they could ban fans from ballparks if the numbers continue to rise. Even before the baseball season got underway, an opening game was postponed after a player tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Washington Nationals were scheduled to host the New York Mets on Thursday night, but after a Nationals player tested positive for COVID-19, the team canceled the game.
Meanwhile, states are doubling their efforts to vaccinate as many people as possible by expanding eligibility and touting the vaccines as essential to getting the country back to normal.
As of Thursday, anyone 50 or older is eligible for a vaccine in California, the country’s most populous state with 40 million people.
In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer doubled the state’s daily COVID-19 vaccination goal to 100,000 shots.
In other developments:
■ Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday eased restrictions on elective surgeries and long-term care facilities.
■ U.S. health officials authorized two more over-the-counter COVID-19 tests that can be used at home to get quick results.
■ The Biden administration is unveiling a coalition of community, religious and celebrity partners to promote COVID-19 shots as it seeks to overcome vaccine hesitancy. The Department of Health and Human Services’ new “We Can Do This” campaign features television and social media ads.