Across the US, Americans are starting to think about COVID-19 as a memory. Many are no longer wearing masks in convenience stores and gyms after President Biden’s confusing mask guidance, which was interpreted as many as a curtain call on the hated practice. Credible physicians, including Johns Hopkins’ surgeon Dr. Marty Makary, have posited that the US might already have reached herd immunity, as the number of new cases continues to slow following the most recent peak in mid-April. Since January, the number of daily cases has slowed dramatically, falling from 300K cases per day on Jan. 2.
To try and entice more patients to accept the vaccine, some governors have offered lotteries with million-dollar payoffs, along with guns, beer and other cash prizes. These efforts have had mixed results (though the governor of Ohio insists that his state’s “Vax-a-Million” lottery campaign has helped encourage more adults to seek out the vaccine).
But survey data suggests that the US likely won’t see another surge in vaccine uptake, with 78% of respondents to a recent Gallup Poll saying they’re not planning on getting vaccinated and nothing will change their minds, which means President Biden’s latest goal of reaching 70% vaccination rates by the July 4th holiday – less than a month away – is looking increasingly unlikely. – READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --