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The United States moved closer to vaccinating 100 million Americans on Thursday in a race against a surge in COVID-19 cases that is fueling fears of another nationwide surge as the baseball season of the Major leagues begin and thousands of fans return to the stadiums.
More than 99 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine and more than 56 million people – 17% of the country’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 doses of the vaccine during his first 100 days in office.
But coronavirus infections are on the rise again, and officials have warned they could ban fans from baseball diamonds if the numbers continue to rise. Even before the start of the baseball season, an opener 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 called the game off. It was not immediately postponed.
At American Family Field in Milwaukee, Tonia Smith said she had no safety concerns about returning to the stadium where the Brewers faced the Minnesota Twins. The stadium limited attendance to around 16,000 spectators – a quarter of its capacity.
“It was difficult to judge how quickly to get here. It’s a different experience from opening day. But just having those smells hit you, come in and have that experience coming back, it’s invigorating, ”said Smith, 45, of Sussex, Wisconsin.
In Chicago, officials have warned they will stop letting baseball fans enter Wrigley Field and across town to the guaranteed rate field, as well as bars and restaurants, if COVID-19 cases continue to increase. to climb.
The warning was included in a press release issued Wednesday by the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications, a day before the Chicago Cubs’ opening day. Both ball parks will be limited to 25% of their capacity when they open to fans for the first time since 2019.
For Wrigley Field, that means just over 10,000 fans in the stands. Many more are expected to watch the game from nearby bars and restaurants. The guaranteed rate field houses the White Sox.
Meanwhile, states are redoubling their efforts to vaccinate as many people as possible by expanding eligibility and touting vaccines as key 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, which has the highest COVID-19 infection rate in the country over the past week, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has doubled the state’s daily COVID-19 vaccination target to 100,000 injections as the state faces a third increase in cases.
Michigan’s direct dose allocation will total about 620,000 next week, a record high. That’s 12%, or about 66,000, more than this week and includes a substantial increase in the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine.
The state also reported its first confirmed case of a coronavirus variant initially identified in Brazil. The infection occurred in a Bay County resident, where local health officials were investigating the person’s history of exposure.
Michigan had previously reported finding variants identified for the first time in Britain and South Africa.
“It is now even more important that the Michiganders continue to do what works to slow the spread of the virus,” the governor said in a statement, citing wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, avoiding crowds, himself. wash hands and get vaccinated.
While some states struggle to meet demand for vaccines, others report that a significant portion of their population is reluctant to get vaccinated.
In Iowa, about a third of the state’s adult population, or roughly 800,000 people, will not pledge to be vaccinated, prompting Gov. Kim Reynolds to implore them to consider it for the good. of all.
Iowa’s viral activity has increased in recent weeks, especially among spring break travelers aged 18 to 29.
The state is expected to receive nearly 161,000 doses of the vaccine next week, the largest weekly supply yet, Reynolds said. This will allow the state to widely open immunization appointments to all adults starting Monday, although a few counties have already expanded their immunization eligibility.
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Milwaukee Associate Press Editor Steve Megargee contributed to this report.
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