The Biden administration has finally reached its goal of getting 70% of American adults to take at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination. The phrase “better late than never” comes to mind as the White House failed to accomplish this by the Fourth of July as was originally planned. However, with the rise of the Delta variant, a disturbing spike in the number of infections, and the Democrats’ continued push for vaccine and mask mandates, one has to wonder: Does it even matter at this point?

On Aug. 1, White House COVID-19 Data Director Cyrus Shahpar announced on Twitter:

“Milestone Monday just in: Today we hit 70% of adults w/ at least one dose! +468K doses reported administered, incl. 320K newly vaccinated (vs. 257K last Monday). 7-day average of newly vaccinated highest since July 4. Let’s continue working to get more eligible vaccinated!”

Over the summer, vaccination numbers began to stall because many Americans remained skeptical of the inoculation. In the last few weeks, the White House mounted an all-out campaign to persuade the holdouts to get the jab. The administration attempted to pass the blame for its failure to achieve its goal, even pointing a finger at social media companies like Facebook for not doing enough to silence opinions on the vaccine that were not Democrat-approved. However, Politico noted on Aug. 2 that “vaccination rates have climbed in recent days, buoyed in part by the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, which has spiked cases and hospitalizations nationwide – hitting areas with low vaccination rates especially hard.”

(Photo by Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)

Still, the progress on the vaccination front has not dampened Democrat efforts to reimpose COVID restrictions. Indeed, while the American public is largely opposed to vaccine mandates and almost evenly divided on mask requirements, the left insists that the nation take a step backward instead of moving forward toward normalcy.

Mandatory Masks and Needles Anyway?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data showing that individuals who have taken the vaccine can still spread the coronavirus. However, they typically do not experience the acute symptoms and rate of hospitalizations as the unvaccinated. Because of this, and other factors, the CDC is suggesting that Americans wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status in any community with a significant COVID-19 transmission rate.

These measures would apply to areas “where there have been 50 new COVID cases confirmed per 100,000 residents within the past seven days,” according to New York Magazine. Currently, this would apply to “at least 60 percent of the counties in the U.S. not just including the southern and midwestern states experiencing large outbreaks, but a majority of counties in Nevada, Colorado, and Utah, as well as every county in New York City.”

Several cities and counties have already reinstated mask mandates for the vaccinated and unvaccinated alike. These include St. Louis County, Provincetown, MA, and Los Angeles County. New York Magazine also noted:

“On Tuesday, Nevada became the first state to realign its statewide mask policy with the CDC, mandating indoor face masks in 12 counties Later that week, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., and Kansas City, Missouri also announced they were reinstating indoor face mask mandates, and San Francisco seems likely to follow suit. USA Today has compiled a state-by-state roundup of other current mask rules here.”

 Activist media outlets like CNN and The New York Times have advocated for mandatory vaccinations as more and more businesses across the country acquiesce to the left on the matter. Both Walmart and Disney have dipped their corporate toes into the waters of the jab requirement.

While the Biden administration is touting its tardy accomplishment, Americans might have a “too little, too late” reaction, especially if they are still required to live under draconian COVID rules. In the end, some might view the White House’s progress as quite underwhelming.

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Read more from Jeff Charles.