Coronavirus: US touts free Uber and Lyft rides as vaccination rates fall
- The White House is looking for new ways to motivate Americans to get their shots and hit President Joe Biden’s July 4 target
- Other steps include inoculation sites at community colleges and funding for on-the-ground efforts to promote vaccinations
The latest actions also include vaccination sites at community colleges, among other efforts, the White House said in a statement.
The new initiatives come at a time when US demand for vaccines has declined significantly, forcing the administration to figure out new ways to motivate people to get vaccinated.
President Biden will discuss the steps in a meeting with a bipartisan group of governors on Tuesday.
“Today, the president will highlight an … effort by the ride-sharing companies Lyft and Uber to provide free rides to anyone going to a vaccination site to get vaccinated,” the statement said.
Biden has set a target of getting 70 per cent of US adults inoculated by July 4 so the country can be safely reopened for celebrations and small Independence Day holiday gatherings. As of Monday, 46 per cent of Americans have received at least one vaccine dose, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.