President Joe Biden on Wednesday declared June a “national month of action” to mobilize even more Americans to get vaccinated by the Fourth of July, in order to enjoy what he called “a summer of freedom.”
With the help of vaccinations, Biden said, Americans are headed into a summer vastly different from last year.
“A summer of freedom. A summer of joy. A summer of get-togethers and celebrations. An all-American summer that this country deserves after a long, long, dark winter that we’ve all endured,” Biden said.
“For all the progress we’re making as a country, if you’re unvaccinated, you are still at risk of getting seriously ill or dying or spreading disease to others,” the president warned. He added that “all over the world, people are desperate to get a shot that every American can get at their neighborhood drug store at no cost with no wait.”
Biden stated that getting vaccinated is “not a partisan act,” and that the science behind the vaccines was developed under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
Independence Day is the deadline Biden set last month for the country to have at least 70 percent of adults having received at least one shot.
To help reach his goal, the White House unveiled its initiatives in the administration’s month-long effort that will mobilize national organizations, local government leaders, community-based and faith-based partners, businesses, employers, social media influencers, celebrities, athletes, colleges, young people, and thousands of volunteers.
First of all, since “many unvaccinated Americans report concern about the potential ripple expenses of getting vaccinated, such as having to pay for child care,” four of the nation’s largest childcare providers — KinderCare, Learning Care Group, Bright Horizons and hundreds of YMCA locations — will offer free drop-in child care to all parents and caregivers getting vaccinated or “recovering from vaccination” (Sic!).
Then, the pharmacies — including Albertsons, CVS, Rite-Aid, and Walgreens — will have extended hours on Fridays in June starting next week, and even offer services throughout the night.
Also, the administration will employ its top — and, presumably, most likable — officials to get in touch with everyday Americans during a national tour called “We Can Do This,” featuring Vice President Kamala Harris. The First Lady, the Second Gentleman, and members of the Cabinet will also join the tour to “energize and mobilize grassroots vaccine education.”
The White House is also launching a new initiative called “Shots at the Shop” to recruit black-owned barbershops and beauty shops to help with outreach. Throughout June, each participating shop will engage customers with information about the vaccines, display educational materials, and host on-site vaccination events.
America’s mayors are joining the effort by launching a “Mayor Competition” to see which city can grow its vaccination rate the most by July Fourth.
Similarly, the “College Challenge,” which includes more than 200 institutions, will allow colleges and universities to “take a pledge and commit to taking action to get their students and communities vaccinated.”
The effort would not be complete without the media propaganda campaign, so the White House included “Blanketing Local TV and Radio and Social Media to Get Americans the Facts and Answer Their Question.” The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), representing more than 7,000 TV and radio stations across the country, will be airing “vaccine education segments” in their programming featuring “trusted voices” from the community, as well as medical professionals from leading medical associations across the country.
In addition to all of that, the White House will continue to encourage “incentives” provided by private sector, such as:
- Anheuser-Busch will give away free beer to all adults over the age of 21 in America on July 4th to celebrate the country’s progress against COVID.
- CVS launched a sweepstakes for vaccinated people to win free cruises, tickets to Super Bowl LVI, and cash prizes.
- Door Dash will give $2 million in gift cards to the National Association of Community Health Centers to incentivize vaccinations.
- Major League Baseball teams will offer on-site vaccinations at games and give free tickets to those who get vaccinated.
- Microsoft will give away thousands of Xboxes to Boys and Girls Clubs in hard-hit areas who will run promotions and educational seminars about the importance of vaccinations in hard-hit and hard-to-reach communities.
- Kroger launched a “Community Immunity” program to give $1 million to a vaccinated person every week in June and give dozens of vaccinated Americans free groceries for a year.
- United Airlines launched the “Your Shot to Fly” Sweepstakes for Mileage Plus members to win a year of free flights or a roundtrip for two in any class of service.
Nearly 51 percent of the total U.S. population has received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, and nearly 41 percent of the total population is fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.
The data also shows that 12 states have met the Biden administration’s goal to have 70 percent of adults with at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. California and Maryland recently joined Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont in reaching that benchmark.
At the same time, the vaccination rate continues to drop, falling from 3.3 to 1.1 million shots a day, while concerns in jabs’ safety remain high — The New American has covered it here, here, here, here, and here.
Three COVID-19 vaccines — the two-shot Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines and the one-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson — received emergency use authorization by the FDA.
