U.S. sets new vaccine record with 3.4 million doses administered in one day
26 March 2021
The U.S. broke its previous record for most COVID-19 vaccines administered in a single day, with 3.4 million doses reported on Friday, according to the White House.
Why it matters: President Biden on Thursday set a new goal of 200 million doses administered in his first 100 days in office. At the current seven-day average, which increased to 2.62 million daily doses with the new record on Friday, the U.S. would comfortably reach that goal before his 100th day on April 30.
By the numbers: States have reported a total of 133.3 million vaccine doses, with about 117 million administered since Biden was inaugurated, according to Bloomberg's vaccine tracker.
- 26.3% of Americans have received at least their first dose, and 14.3% have been fully vaccinated.
- Biden has called on every state to make every adult eligible to receive a vaccine by May 1, and over 40 have already said they plan to meet or beat that deadline.
Yes, but: That doesn't necessarily mean states have enough vaccine supplies to offer appointments to everyone in the new groups, which could slow down the pace of vaccinations.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.