Vaccine distribution is the latest thing we are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it has finally reached a point where we can say that millions of vaccines are being distributed everyday. According to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker, as of February 3rd 2021, “108 million doses have been administered across 67 countries.” Globally, the latest vaccination rate is about 4,253,851 doses per day. If we were to continue at this rate it could potentially take 7.4 years to vaccinate 75% of the world’s population with the two course vaccine, but these rates are increasing everyday. The best available vaccines yet, the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccine, have now been cleared for use across North America, Europe and the Middle East, and vaccination campaigns have begun in at least 67 countries. In trials it was found that this vaccine reduces COVID-19 infections by 95%.
In the U.S. about 35 million doses have been given. And in just this past week, an average of 1.34 million doses per day were administered. At this rate, it will take 11 months to give the two-dose vaccine to 75% of the population. In the state of New Jersey about 9.59 doses have been given per 100 people. Additionally, 1.6% of the population have been fully vaccinated. However, the U.S. fell short when compared to federal prediction because the vaccines were unevenly distributed across the states. The initial round of shots was primarily given out by hospitals and other institutional health-care settings. Although there were few places to receive the vaccine initially this next phase will include pharmacies and health clinics. In general, this next phase of vaccines should broaden the scope of where people can get the vaccine. The next phase will also give more people the opportunity to get vaccinated. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious-disease official in the U.S., said that vaccinating 70% to 85% of the U.S. would allow life to return to normal.
While the U.S. is behind some other countries got a head start on vaccinations. China and Russia authorized their own vaccines in July and August, however, this was before they had been fully tested. Both countries have administered millions of doses but they do not provide frequent updates on their progress.
The start of global vaccination campaigns have caused unequal access to vaccines. Countries are not only experiencing unfair access but also there are varying levels of efficiency to distribute vaccinations. Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker stated that the most efficient country is currently Israel. Israel is administering 57 does per 100 while most countries haven’t even given out one dose. This is not to say that Israel is better than other countries but they were given enough of a supply to cover their population, unlike most, and distributed it quickly. But keep in mind that Israel’s population is about 9.053 million, whereas a country like the U.S is about 328.2 million.
None of the available vaccines, on their own, is enough to end this pandemic, especially with a global population of about 7.8 billion people. However, right now they are humanity’s best hope to end the pandemic that took more than 2.1 million lives. And while some of this data may seem bleak it is important to remember there is hope and we are in the final stretch. While government officials and medical professionals work tirelessly to distribute these vaccines, the best thing for us to do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to do what you’ve been doing: social distancing, wearing masks, avoiding large gatherings, and washing your hands frequently.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker.html
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/
https://time.com/collection/coronavirus-vaccines-updates/
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/01/28/960901166/how-is-the-covid-19-vaccination-campaign-going-in-your-state