Plan to Slow Spread of COVID Variant Revealed by White House

WASHINGTON – The White House on Tuesday rolled out a new plan to get more people vaccinated against COVID-19 as the delta variant spreads among those who continue to go unvaccinated.

President Joe Biden had hoped that at least 70% of the eligible population would have received at least one shot by July 4. 

However, he fell just short of that goal with the Centers for Disease Control reporting a total of 67% who could have received at least one shot have done so.

Speaking to reporters after a briefing from his COVID-19 response team, Biden said he’s pleased by the strong progress the country has made in recovering because of its robust vaccination campaign, and he noted that by the end of the week, nearly 160 million people will be fully vaccinated.

But he went on to stress that the pandemic is still not completely in the nation’s rear view mirror and said his administration will continue to work with governors, local leaders and across the public and private sector to get more Americans vaccinated.

To do so, the White House is making vaccines available in more health care settings, and is stepping up its effort to respond to hotspots.

During his remarks to reporters, Biden outlined five areas his team is focusing on to get more Americans vaccinated.

These are:

• Targeted, community by community, door to door outreach to get the remaining Americans vaccinated by ensuring they have the information they need on how both safe and accessible the vaccine is.
• A renewed emphasis on getting the vaccines to more and more primary care doctors and other health care providers so more Americans can get a shot at their doctor’s office.
• Stepped up efforts to get vaccines to pediatricians and other providers who serve younger people – so that adolescents ages 12 to 18 can get vaccinated as they go for “back to school” check ups or get ready for fall sports.
• Expanded efforts to make the vaccine accessible for workers, including setting up vaccination clinics at work and PTO for employees.
• Expanded deployment of mobile clinics.

According to the CDC, 157 million people have been fully vaccinated. Among people in the U.S. ages 18 and up, the CDC’s percentage for those fully vaccinated stands at 58.2%, while the percentage of those ages 65 and over who have been vaccinated is 78.7%.

The World Health Organization reports that the delta variant, which was first observed in India, has now spread to at least 96 countries, including the U.S.

About 25% of all new reported U.S. COVID-19 cases are of the delta variant, according to the CDC, which predicts it will become the dominant variant.