Biden, Harris urge vaccinations as U.S. looks likely to miss July 4
target
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[June 19, 2021]
By Andrea Shalal and Michael Erman
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden
and Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday urged Americans to get
COVID-19 shots, as the country looks likely to miss the White House's
goals for vaccination next month as a new coronavirus variant triggered
serious concerns.
"Act now, act now," Biden said in remarks at the White House, urging the
unvaccinated to talk to their family and friends who have had shots and
to their doctors.
Deaths and hospitalizations are going "drastically down in places where
people are getting vaccinated," but not other areas, Biden said.
"They're actually going up in some places."
At the current pace, the United States seems unlikely to hit Biden's
goal of having 70% of adults receive at least one dose of a COVID-19
vaccine by July 4, the Independence Day holiday.
As of Friday, around 65.1% of people in the United States had gotten at
least one shot, and that mark has increased by less than one percentage
point over the past two weeks.
That pace would have to more than double over the next two weeks for the
United States to hit the target.
The White House had no immediate comment on the possibility of missing
the July 4, 70% goal. Currently, only 15 states and Washington, D.C.
have achieved that level.
U.S. government data https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccination-demographic
show a political divide as well, with states won by former President
Donald Trump lagging well behind in vaccination rates than those won by
Biden.
“When you get the vaccine for yourself, that means that you will not
possibly pass it on to somebody else in general because you’re unlikely
to get COVID," Harris said during a vaccination drive at Atlanta's famed
Ebenezer Baptist Church. "Isn't that an extension of love thy neighbor?"
she said, to which several in the audience responded, "Amen!"
The United States has administered 300 million COVID-19 vaccinations in
150 days, a White House official said on Friday ahead of Biden's speech.
First lady Jill Biden and other officials have mounted a campaign-style
push to encourage more Americans to get shots, using public appearances,
local media interviews and advertisements to dispel lingering concerns.
Officials said Biden's push to accelerate vaccinations since taking
office in January was paying off, with COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations
and deaths down to their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic
in early 2020.
Earlier this week, the United States marked a grim milestone, surpassing
600,000 COVID-19 deaths.
The U.S. death toll remains the highest in the world, although other
countries, including Brazil, Britain and Russia, have higher death rates
as a measure of their populations.
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President Joe Biden speaks about the administration's coronavirus
disease (COVID-19) response and the vaccination program during brief
remarks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington,
U.S., June 18, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
A White House fact sheet said the number of COVID-19
deaths has decreased by 90% since Biden took office in January, when
more than 3,300 Americans were dying each day, and highlighted big
gains in the economy as people return to work.
It said more than 175 million Americans had received at least one
shot, and 55% of adults were fully vaccinated.
'A SERIOUS CONCERN'
Addressing racial imbalances in vaccination rates remained a
continuing concern, the White House said, but pointed to gains there
as well. In the past month, it said, people of color made up 54% of
nationwide vaccinations although they comprise 40% of the U.S.
population.
Biden said the new Delta virus variant, first detected in India, was
"a serious concern" which underscored the need to keep increasing
vaccination rates.
"It's a variant that is more easily transmissible, potentially
deadlier and particularly dangerous for young people," he said. "But
the good news is we have a solution. The science and the data are
clear. The best way to protect yourself against these variants is to
get fully vaccinated."
The Biden administration is counting on faith leaders and community
groups to help increase vaccination rates and overcome lingering
vaccine hesitancy, especially among people of color.
"Church is always a healing place. It’s so appropriate that we’re
doing this here," Harris said in remarks at Ebenezer Baptist, where
civil rights leader the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and his
father once preached.
"We just need to get the word out. One of the most important ways is
friend to friend, neighbor to neighbor ... please help us get the
word out," she urged.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Michael Erman; Additional reporting
by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Heather Timmons and
Jonathan Oatis)
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