Biden Says U.S. to Reach His Goal of Administering 200 Million COVID-19 Vaccines

President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that the U.S. is set to reach his goal of administering 200 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, which is double Biden's initial goal of administering 100 million doses during his first 100 days in office. Biden extended the goal to 200 million after the U.S. met his initial goal of 100 million doses within approximately 60 days in office. Biden, who will reach 100 days in office net week, also announced tax credits for employers who give employees paid leave to get a vaccine dose. The tax credits are meant for employers with fewer than 500 employees, and were a part of the $1.9 trillion economic relief bill passed last month. Biden also encouraged young people over the age of 18 to sign up to receive the vaccine, days after the administration announced that every American over the age of 16 is now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Currently only two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are available, while the the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines are paused by the CDC due to rare blood clots. The story received consistent coverage across the political spectrum; some right-rated outlets claimed Biden sought to take sole credit for achieving his goal without crediting the research and development contributions from former President Donald Trump's administration, while left-rated outlets tended to focus more on Biden's speech.