US President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday a new goal of administering at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine to 70 per cent of the adult population over the next two months amid debate about reaching herd immunity.
Mr Biden also is aiming for 170 million adults in the US to be fully vaccinated by July 4, the nation's independence day.
"As we've anticipated, the pace of the vaccinations is slowing now that the majority of American adults have already gotten their first shot," he said.
"Soon, we will have reached the adults most eager to be vaccinated and this effort will shift to a new phase."
About 56.3 per cent of US adults have been immunised with at least one dose, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
About 105 million adults have been fully vaccinated.
The CDC defines fully vaccinated people as those who are two weeks past their final Covid-19 vaccine dose.
"The light at the end of the tunnel is actually growing brighter and brighter," Mr Biden said.
His new goal is a step towards a promise made during a prime-time speech in March, when he spoke of his hope for a country "closer to normal" by July 4.
"We will begin to mark our independence from this virus," Mr Biden said. "July 4 with your loved ones is the goal."
The White House says the Biden administration will accomplish the goal by having pharmacies agree to accept walk-in vaccinations, sending doses to rural health organisations and increasing promotion.
Mr Biden also announced that he will ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency to support smaller pop-up vaccination sites and mobile drives.
"Now we're going to have to bring the vaccine to people who are less eager," he said.
"So we also know that there are millions of Americans who just need a little bit of encouragement to get the shot."
Mr Biden spoke of efforts to develop a Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 15 years old, which the Food and Drug Administration may approve for emergency use.
"I'd like to get it to 100 per cent but I think realistically we can get to that place [ of 70 per cent] by July 4th."
Pfizer has applied for emergency use authorisation for a vaccine for teens, and media reports say the FDA may approve it as early as next week.
The Pfizer vaccine is the only approved shot for people aged 16 to 18 years.
The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots are only approved for people 18 years or older.
"If that announcement comes, we are ready to move immediately," Mr Biden said.
Scientists and public health researchers have been discussing how the US can reach herd immunity, a level where widespread vaccination can fend off the threat of severe outbreaks.
The country's top infectious diseases expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, said the focus should be placed on vaccinations.
"I always say there's this elusive, somewhat mystical terminology of 'herd immunity' and 'herd immunity threshold'," Dr Fauci told a radio station in Boston on Monday.
He has estimated that herd immunity would be achieved if between 70 and 85 per cent of the population is vaccinated.
Other experts say it may be higher if a vaccine-resistant variant becomes prevalent.
"I'd like to get it to 100 per cent but I think, realistically, we can get to that place by July 4," Mr Biden said.
More than 577,000 people in the US have died from Covid-19, the highest toll in the world, and the country leads in total cases.
Mr Biden also announced that he will share 10 per cent of the US vaccine supply with the rest of the world by July 4.
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Score
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
New Zealand lead three-match ODI series 1-0
Next match: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, Friday
T20 SQUADS
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shinwari, Hassan Ali, Imad Wasim, Waqas Maqsood, Faheem Ashraf.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
Company profile
Name: GiftBag.ae
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2011
Number of employees: 4
Sector: E-commerce
Funding: Self-funded to date
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Scoreline
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 17
Jebel Ali Dragons 20
Harlequins Tries: Kinivilliame, Stevenson; Cons: Stevenson 2; Pen: Stevenson
Dragons Tries: Naisau, Fourie; Cons: Love 2; Pens: Love 2
England Test squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.
