The world has now reached a grim new milestone in the fight against COVID-19 as confirmed cases of coronavirus infection globally has now exceeded the 100 million mark.
The pandemic, which had only been confirmed on U.S. soil with the country's first case around 12 months ago, has been an uphill battle for the United States.
In mid January, Johns Hopkins University reported that the world had surpassed the 2 million mark in COVID-19 deaths globally, a number that experts say could actually be much larger.
As the Associated Press reported, the Biden administration says it is giving states an approximately 17% boost in vaccine next week following complaints around the U.S. of shortages so severe that some vaccination sites had to cancel tens of thousands of appointments with people waiting for their first shot.
Detailed figures posted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website Tuesday showed that the government plans to make about 10.1 million first and second doses available next week, up from this week’s allotment of 8.6 million. The figures represent doses of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
The increase comes as vaccination sites around the U.S. are canceling large numbers of appointments because of vaccine shortages. Governors and top health officials have complained about inadequate supplies and the need for earlier and more reliable estimates of how much is on the way so that they can plan accordingly.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.