WASHINGTON — As President Joe Biden addresses Congress tonight, he is expected to tout his administration’s handling of the pandemic. That includes surpassing his initial goal of 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days in office.

Now, Biden faces another pandemic challenge, overcoming the reluctance of many Americans to get vaccinated, a growing problem in Florida. 

“Right now we are at a place where we have a lot of supply, we have done the work,” said Karine Jean-Pierre, The White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary in an interview with Spectrum News.

As Biden unveils his plan for a nation emerging form the COVID-19 pandemic, his administration his grappling with a large number of Americans, refusing to get the shot.

“We have to continue the work to make sure we are communicating with Americans," Jean-Pierre said. "If you want to get back to normal, you have to get vaccinated.” 

Daily vaccinations are down 20% from their peak on April 11. In Florida, almost half of all adult residents have not been vaccinated.

“We are behind some of the other states,” said Dr. Aftab Khan, who specializes in internal medicine at the Davenport Medical Center.

Khan is concerned about the drop-off in demand, particularly among younger Americans. 

"The hesitancy and ignorance is more among young adults," he said in an interview with Spectrum News. "Unless we give them proper education and convince them, we are not going to reach that so-called herd immunity that 70 to 85% of the population vaccinated."

Florida now leads the nation in new COVID-19 cases, weeks after many came to the state for spring break vacations. Although the number of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths dropped in the last week, Florida is not keeping pace with the much steeper declines nationwide. 

“I’m very concerned that people are still hesitant to get the vaccine now,” said Rep. Kathy Castor (D) Florida 14th District. “They should talk to their doctors, go to trusted sources of information — the Centers for Disease Control, your community health center. The risks are so high,” Castor said.

Khan believes the state could reach herd immunity by convincing 15-20% of holdouts to get the shot. 

"We could reach herd immunity by 4th of July and I’m very much optimistic about that,” Khan said.

The highest number of new cases in Florida are among those from 24 to 34 years old, which is also one of the age groups with the lowest vaccination rates.