The Trump administration fell farther behind in administering already lagging COVID-19 vaccinations with fewer than 500,000 vaccinations -- mostly to frontline essential workers -- reported from Thursday to Friday.

Some 3.2 million vaccine shots given to patients on January 1, based on data from the Bloomberg News vaccine tracker. This compares to the 2.8 million total vaccinations reported on December 31.

Both totals represented fewer than 20% of the Trump administration's goal of administering 20 million vaccinations by the end of 2020. Medical experts contend the country needs to inoculate more than 1.5 million persons a day to attain its vaccination goals.

The scandalous delay was assailed by Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), who on Friday slammed the slow roll-out of vaccinations across the U.S. He blamed the Trump administration for failing to help states inoculate more people.

"That comprehensive vaccination plans have not been developed at the federal level and sent to the states as models is as incomprehensible as it is inexcusable," said Romney.

One of Trump's fiercest Republican critics, Romney said it's unrealistic to assume health care workers caring for COVID-19 patients can vaccinate millions of Americans as well. He suggested more medical professionals (including veterinarians and military doctors) be trained and enlisted to administer vaccinations.

"The current program is woefully behind despite the fact that it encompasses the two easiest populations to vaccinate: front-line workers and long-term care residents," according to Romney.

"Unless new strategies and plans are undertaken, the deadly delays may be compounded as broader and more complex populations are added."

Trump had earlier washed his hands of the fiasco, saying individual states are to blame, and not his refusal to craft any national plan to combat the pandemic.

"The Federal Government has distributed the vaccines to the states," tweeted Trump. "Now it is up to the states to administer. Get moving!"

Officials of Operation Warp Speed, the administration's vaccination program, claim they've distributed millions of doses to states. They said they've not met the 20 million goal due to the delicate nature of the super-cold vaccines from Pfizer/BioNtech and Moderna, Inc. requiring storage in special freezers.

They also blamed the delay on the uncertainty over the supply of doses and the strain on local health agencies unable to cope with the huge demands being made of them.

On the other hand, local public health officials said the lack of federal funding for vaccine distribution keeps preventing them from hiring needed staff.

"We know that it should be better, and we are working hard to make it better," said Operation Warp Speed chief adviser Dr. Moncef Slaoui.

The first to be vaccinated in the U.S. are 21 million healthcare workers, who began receiving the shots December 14. Inoculations of the country's three million nursing home residents are also ongoing.

Some 51 million U.S. frontline essential workers such as firefighters, police, and teachers, plus people over 75, will be next to inoculated, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.