Biden marks 50 million coronavirus vaccine shots since taking office

As the nation continues to contend with COVID-19, President Biden indicated on Thursday that 50 million COVID-19 shots have been administered during his tenure, marking the halfway point toward his target of 100 million shots in his first 100 days.

But the president urged people to continue to practice handwashing, social distancing and mask wearing.

Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines involve getting two shots separated by a span of time. According to the Associated Press, more than 45 million Americans have received at least a single dose of the vaccines since they secured approval from the Food and Drug Administration in December, while more than 20 million people have had both doses.

So far there have been more than 507,000 coronavirus fatalities in the U.S. according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.