WASHINGTON, D.C. — It’s safe to celebrate the Fourth of July if you’re vaccinated. That's the message the White House is sending for the holiday weekend, despite the U.S. falling short of President Joe Biden’s vaccination goals.

In early May, President Biden set a goal to have 70% of all U.S. adults vaccinated by the 4th of July. It’s a goal the U.S. is unlikely to achieve in time.

Looking at CDC data, around 9 million more Americans would have to get vaccinated before Sunday to reach Biden’s vaccination goal. Right now, about 66.7% of American adults have received at least one dose.

Biden had also set a target to have 160 million American adults fully vaccinated by Independence Day. Right now, CDC data shows the U.S. is roughly 12 million shy of that goal with around 148 million American adults fully vaccinated.

Despite falling short of the Independence Day goal, the White House said Fourth of July celebrations can go on as planned. This marks the first major holiday with that messaging.

“Our public health officials have been out conveying that they’re [vaccines] safe and effective. We certainly feel comfortable and confident in moving forward with our event at the White House and with individuals having barbecues in their backyards this weekend to celebrate the 4th of July and America’s birthday,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. 

The White House will host a celebration for essential workers and military families on the Fourth of July on the South Lawn. A thousand invitations were sent out for the event.

As for celebrations in Kentucky, messaging from local officials has been similar to that from the White House. 

This comes as Kentucky is falling a little behind the national vaccination figure. According to Kentucky’s COVID-19 Dashboard, 60% of Kentucky adults are vaccinated while 49% of Kentucky’s total population is vaccinated.