Coronavirus update: Experts consider just one dose, drugmakers say more vaccines are on the way President Biden paid tribute to the 500,000 who have died in the U.S. 02/23/2021 Total U.S. confirmed cases: 28,194,840 (28,139,690) Total U.S. deaths: 500,617 (499,128) Total global cases: 111,878,487 (111,555,751) Total global deaths: 2,478,131 (2,469,417) One dose or two? Doctors are beginning to question whether people really need two doses of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, especially when measured against the bottlenecks and shortages that have delayed vaccinations in many states. Health officials are holding back significant quantities of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in order to provide second shots three weeks later. However, antibody tests have shown that most recipients create protective antibodies within three weeks of receiving the first dose.