The latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) show that between 431,000 and 470,000 excess deaths have occurred since the Covid-19 pandemic began. An additional 200,000 deaths are projected by April.
Along with strong mitigation measures to curb the spread, vaccines are powerful tools that will enable us to subdue and eventually end the pandemic. Last month’s emergency use authorization of two vaccines offers real hope in this regard. But, availability of vaccines is not the same thing as actual uptake.   
Trump Administration officials had previously predicted there would be 20 million first dose vaccinations by the end of December, but as of January 2nd, only about 4.2 million people have had their first dose, according to a CDC tracker.