As the Delta variant of COVID continues to affect Americans across the country, the Biden administration is seeking new methods of getting Americans vaccinated. As mass vaccination sites have been closing down, it has been raising concerns that not enough Americans will be fully protected. In a press briefing on Tuesday, President Biden addressed this concern:
“We need to go to community by community, neighborhood by neighborhood, and oftentimes, door by door-literally knocking on doors-to get help to the remaining people protected from the virus”. Of course, door to door vaccinations would only apply to unvaccinated Americans, especially as an analysis by the Associated Press found that the majority of deaths from COVID are from those not fully vaccinated.
“Our fight against this virus is not over,” Biden continues. “Right now, as I speak to you, millions of Americans are still unvaccinated and unprotected. And because of that, their communities are at risk, their friends are at risk. The people that they care about are at risk”.
Furthermore, Biden suggests turning local areas such as pharmacies, churches, and festivals into vaccination sites. “The experience should be like going inside to get toothpaste or something else you need from a drugstore”, Biden continues. “We’re going to put even more emphasis on getting vaccinated in your community, close to home, conveniently at a location you’re already familiar with”.
According to the CDC, about 55% of Americans are vaccinated with 3 million Americans receiving vaccines during April. The rate, however, has declined as only 700,000 Americans per day are now receiving the vaccination. Moreover, a poll from the Washington Post poll found that 29% of Americans refuse to take a vaccine, despite the health risks stated by the CDC and medical professionals alike.
“We are emerging from one of the darkest years in our nation’s history into a summer of hope and joy, hopefully. Think about where you were — where you were last year, where you are today; what you were able to do last year at this time and do today. It’s a year of hard-fought progress. We can’t get complacent now,” concluded Biden.
