Coronavirus: free beer, other new incentives for Joe Biden’s ‘vaccine sprint’
- US president announces ‘month of action’ to urge Americans to get Covid-19 shots before July 4 holiday, as he closes in on 70 per cent target
- The lengths to which the US is resorting to convince Americans to get their jabs stands in contrast to much of the world, where vaccines are far less plentiful
Biden on Wednesday announced a “month of action” to urge more Americans to get vaccinated before the July 4 holiday, including an early summer sprint of incentives and a slew of new steps to ease barriers and make getting shots more appealing to those who have not received them.
He is closing in on his goal of getting 70 per cent of adults at least partially vaccinated by Independence Day – essential to his aim of returning the nation to something approaching a pre-pandemic sense of normalcy this summer.
“The more people we get vaccinated, the more success we’re going to have in the fight against this virus,” Biden said from the White House. He predicted that with more vaccinations, America will soon experience “a summer of freedom, a summer of joy, a summer of get-togethers and celebrations. An All-American summer.”
The Biden administration views June as “a critical month in our path to normal”, said Courtney Rowe, the director of strategic communications and engagement for the White House Covid-19 response team.