The U.S. vaccine rollout, which hit breakneck speeds in March and April, is slowing, my colleague Chris Wilson reports. We knew this day would come—similar slowdowns happened in other countries with successful vaccination campaigns, like Israel. But what's alarming is how early in the process it's happening here: less than half of the U.S. population has received even a single dose, leaving hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable. The situation is so dispiriting that some experts now believe herd immunity is out of reach, and we'll have pockets of coronavirus infection around the country for months to come.
The slowdown, says Chris, is not a supply or administration issue. States are receiving more doses than they can use, and vaccination hubs are emptying out. Instead, the country is hitting a hesitancy wall: the people who were ready to get their shots as soon as possible have largely done so, leaving the skeptics behind.
Vaccine hesitancy exists on a spectrum. As Chris points out, about 20% of Americans say they will probably never get a COVID-19 shot no matter what we tell them (or in some cases only if they're required to by an employer). But around 15% are simply on the fence—some may want more time to evaluate the shot's real-world effects, while others may be unable to get time off work to get the shot, or fear that the potential flu-like side effects will sideline them for a day or two.
I like to call these people "vaccine meh-sitant," and convincing them to get their shot is the key to a successful mass vaccination campaign. Nothing I or anyone else in the media will say is likely to do so. Instead, they need to be encouraged by trusted voices, like friends, family or community leaders. They should be given our patience and understanding, as vaccination is a deeply personal choice, and trying to rush someone into making it is only likely to cause them to shut down. Employers need to be understanding if somebody needs time off for the shot, or to recover from side effects. The shots themselves need to be as easy as possible to get—which is, thankfully, happening nationwide, as pharmacies open their doors for walk-in jabs.
On some level, we may need to get comfortable with a slightly slower rollout. In part to address vaccine meh-sitancy, the U.S. inoculation strategy is shifting from megahubs to family doctors and clinics, which can't match the output of places like Dodger Stadium and the Javits Center. Adjusting our mindset won't be easy, especially as the virus continues to circulate. But we need to change our strategy—and our expectations—accordingly.
About 329.8 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been shipped to various U.S. states as of May 10, of which 261.6 million doses have been administered thus far, according to TIME's vaccine tracker. About 34.8% of Americans have been completely vaccinated.
Rich countries that horde coronavirus shots while thousands die every day in the developing world could be guilty of "vaccine apartheid," South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement today. "It will set a devastating precedent in our quest to realize a more egalitarian world and our ability to handle future pandemics," he added. While some major global powers are taking steps to ensure better global vaccine distribution—the Biden Administration recently announced it supports waiving vaccine patients, for example—for sitting on unused doses while other countries struggle to get the shots they need.
Germany is making the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine available to all adults regardless of their age, Reuters reports. However, they will need a doctor's permission before getting the shot. The J&J shot has been cleared for use in the European Union despite rare blood clotting reports in younger recipients. However, individual countries can make their own decisions about whether and how to use it.
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
The Global Situation
More than 158.3 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. E.T. today, and nearly 3.3 million people have died. On May 9, there were 638,092 new cases and 9,820 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here is every country with over 2.5 million confirmed cases:
Indian health authorities are warning about a potentially fatal fungal infection being seen in some of the country's COVID-19 patients as the outbreak there worsens, Bloomberg reports. The infection, called mucormycosis, can damage the lungs and sinuses, and leaves some patients badly disfigured. Mucormycosis, which was a health threat in India even before the coronavirus outbreak, has been most common among long-term ICU patients.
United Kingdom health officials have lowered the country's alert level from four to three, citing the success of its vaccination program and social distancing rules. The move should allow the U.K. to end some of its lockdown restrictions, though health officials stress that while COVID-19 rates have fallen precipitously in the country, the virus remains a threat.
As domestic opposition to holding the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer rises, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told lawmakers today that he has never "put the Olympics first," though he also claimed that it's ultimately up to the International Olympic Committee whether the competitions go on as planned, Reuters reports. Japan is reporting a seven-day average of 5,285 new daily cases, while only about 1 in 100 of its residents are vaccinated.
The Situation in the U.S.
The U.S. had recorded more than 32.7 million coronavirus cases as of 1 a.m. E.T. today. More than 581,700 people have died. On May 9, there were 21,392 new cases and 238 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
Appearing on ABC's This Week yesterday, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that indoor mask mandates will likely be relaxed as vaccination continues. "We do need to start being more liberal as we get more people vaccinated," Fauci said. However, he added that the nationwide average number of daily new cases, which currently stands at around 43,000, needs to come down first. When that happens, Fauci said, "the risk of any infection indoor or outdoor diminishes dramatically."
As air travel has increased in the U.S., so too has the number of unruly passengers, the New York Times reports. Four people are facing fines of up to $70,000 for fighting with flight crews over masking rules and other policies. All told, airlines have reported more than 1,300 incidents involving rowdy passengers to the Federal Aviation Administration since February of this year; in comparison, the FAA received only 142 such reports throughout all of 2019. "We will not tolerate interfering with a flight crew and the performance of their safety duties,” FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson recently posted on Twitter. "Period."
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of May 10, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
The Politics Behind India's COVID-19 Catastrophe
Need a primer on the political context underpinning India's massive outbreak? Start with this New Yorker piece from Steve Coll. Read more here.
The Next Big COVID Disaster Could Be Here
Nigeria could be vulnerable to an India-scale outbreak, some health experts believe. But there's still time to prevent that from happening, David Axe writes in the Daily Beast. Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
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Today’s newsletter was written by Alex Fitzpatrick and edited by Elijah Wolfson.
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