Gov. John Carney and the state’s top public health officer on Thursday hailed Delaware hitting the federal goal of 70% of those eligible getting at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine before the Fourth of July.
“That’s a big deal,” said Gov. John Carney in a press release. “It’s why we’re beating this virus and moving past this pandemic after a long 16 months. And it’s why we can celebrate Independence Day safely, surrounded by family and friends.”
The state’s coronavirus stats tracker said that the state has hit 70.1% of those eligible with 1,010,153 doses of the vaccine given in Delaware.
President Joe Biden had asked states to drive toward that goal, which would help create herd immunity and fight the various variant forms of the coronavirus that cause COVID-19.
The country as a whole won’t make it, but states — a lot of them run by Democratic governors — will,
Nationally, health officials are warning people to be vaccinated to avoid the more infectious and dangerous Delta variant that killed so many people in Italy and has caused other countries to go back into lockdowns and restrictions. Health officials say it’s possible the Delta variant will take root in unvaccinated communities.
“We are so excited to have reached this historic milestone,” said Dr. Karyl Rattay, director of the Delaware Division of Public Health. “A huge thank you to everyone who has gotten vaccinated so far and helped us beat this virus back.
“Even as we celebrate this significant moment in time, we are continuing our efforts to get more Delawareans vaccinated. We especially want to encourage 18–34-year-olds who are most likely to be out and socializing with others to get the vaccine as soon as possible.”
Betsy Price is a Wilmington freelance writer who has 40 years of experience, including 15 at The News Journal in Delaware.
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