White House says 50% of Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19

Halfofthe US population is nowfullyvaccinatedagainstCovid-19, theWhiteHousesaid Friday, as inoculations rise in response to the surging Delta variantofthe coronavirus.

"50%ofAmericans are nowfullyvaccinated. Keep going!" Cyrus Shahpar, theWhiteHouse'sCovid-19 data director, tweeted.

That means more than 165 million people have received either the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or the one-and-done Johnson & Johnson shot.

The thresholdofhalfofall adultAmericansfullyvaccinatedwas reached in late May.

President Joe Biden has been pressing hard forAmericansto getvaccinatedever since he took office in January but has faced stubborn resistance, especially in conservative partsofthe country, with inoculations dropping off sharply in April.

The aggressive vaccination program had raised hopesofa return to some semblanceofnormal life this summer, but the plan was hindered by the Delta variant.

In an increasingly assertive approach, the Biden administration has asked all federal employees to getvaccinatedor faceCovidtesting twice a week.

Biden hinted Friday there would be further measures, saying, "There will be more to come in the days ahead."

WhiteHousespokeswoman Jen Psaki said there were "early conversations, early discussions about a rangeofoptions."

One possibility mentioned in press reports is pressuring nursing homes -- a hotbedofdeaths early in the pandemic -- to force vaccinations among staff or risk losing public funding.

Cities including New York and Los Angeles are imposing new restrictions, such as demanding proofofvaccination for entering indoor venues including restaurants and gyms.

The seven-day averageofnewlyvaccinatedpeople is up 11 percent from last week, and up 44 percent over the past two weeks, Shahpar said.

Daily new cases, deaths and hospitalizations have risen sharply in recent weeks. Last week, there was an averageof90,000 new coronavirus cases per day, with Florida and Texas accounting for a thirdofthem, theWhiteHousesaid.

The United States is back up to around 380Covid-19 deaths a day, with hospitalisations averaging 7,300 a day over a week.

The levelofcommunity transmissionofthe virus is "high" or "substantial" in 85 percentofthe country, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionsays.

The United States is the nation hardest-hit by the pandemic, with 615,000 deaths.