To vaccinate more Americans, lean into outbreaks

As the Delta variant surges across almost all states in the U.S. causing local outbreaks, getting more people vaccinated against the virus that causes Covid-19 should be the country’s key goal. Even though 72% of Americans age 18 and older have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine — one of the highest vaccination rates in the world — it isn’t enough. Mass vaccination campaigns peaked in April and the number of doses administered daily have slowed considerably in all 50 states. To get more Americans vaccinated, it’s time to harness the concern generated by outbreaks and focus vaccination resources on people being exposed to the virus. It’s time to really integrate vaccination efforts into systems for testing and contact tracing.