'I missed you so much': Grandma hugs grandson for the first time after getting COVID-19 vaccine
FORD CITY, Penn. - A local grandmother got to hug her grandson for the first time in months after getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
The touching reunion took place on March 8 in Ford City, Pennsylvania.
Kelsey Chvala took the video of 3-year-old Trax running to hug his 71-year-old grandmother Jean.
"Getting to see his Nana for the first time since Christmas. Why we vaccinated, this is everything," Chvala wrote on Facebook.
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Chvala told Storyful that while the pair saw each other at Christmas, they haven’t hugged each other since October 2020.
The US Centers for Disease Control has stated that fully vaccinated people can now meet with other vaccinated people without masks indoors. Vaccinated adults can also gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household without wearing masks, the CDC announced.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 37.4 million Americans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, representing more than 11% of the total population in the U.S.
President Joe Biden has directed his administration to order another 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, growing a likely U.S. surplus of doses later this year while much of the rest of the world struggles with shortages.
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Even before Wednesday’s order, the U.S. was to have enough approved vaccine delivered by the end of May to cover every adult and enough for 400 million people total by the end of July. Enough doses to cover 200 million more people are on order should vaccines from AstraZeneca and Novavax receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration. The new J&J doses, which would cover another 100 million people, are expected to be delivered in the latter half of the year.
Biden has also ordered states to lift qualifications for vaccinations by May 1 and expand the number of places and categories of people who can give shots. His aim: let Americans gather at least in small groups for the Independence Day holiday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.