The White House on Wednesday defended President Joe Biden's proposal of conducting home visits to offer COVID-19 vaccine shots as the nation grapples with a rising number of cases caused by the more contagious Delta variant.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stressed that Americans would not be mandated to get vaccinated against COVID-19. She reiterated that the Biden administration's door-to-door program aims to share important information on coronavirus vaccines as part of an effort to reach the president's goal of having 70% of the adult population vaccinated.
Efforts to Increase Vaccination Rates
The program aims to provide Americans with more information about where they can get the shot and to address any concerns and theories about vaccine production, safety, and efficacy.
During an interview, Psaki said the Biden administration was doing whatever it can to protect the American people and save lives from being taken by the coronavirus. However, she said that the residents are responsible for deciding whether or not they get vaccinated against the COVID-19, Fox News reported.
President Biden initially pitched the plan during a conference on Tuesday, in which he warned the nation about a recent surge of COVID-19 infections caused by the more transmissible Delta variant.
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"Please get vaccinated now. It works. It's free," Biden said in brief remarks at the White House, as reported by The New York Times. "It's never been easier, and it's never been more important. Do it now for yourself and the people you care about, for your neighborhood, for your country. It sounds corny, but it's a patriotic thing to do."
The Delta variant, also referred to as B.1.617.2, was first detected in India where it is believed to have caused a devastating surge that crippled the country's health care system.
In the United States, new estimates done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggested that it now makes up 51.7% of cases sequenced over the two weeks ending on July 3.
More Contagious Delta Variant
A study by Public Health England suggested that the Delta variant is at least 60% more contagious than the Alpha variant, which now makes up only 28.7% of infections in the U.S. However, multiple studies showed that two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's mRNA vaccine have an efficacy rate of between 79% to 88% against the Delta variant, according to The Times.
As of Wednesday, at least 67.2% of all adults in the U.S. have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 58.4% are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Despite the figures, health experts are calling on the Biden administration to take a more aggressive approach, including urging employers and schools to impose vaccine mandates.
Health experts noted that a surge of cases in areas with low vaccination rates could result in more mutated COVID-19 variants, which could possibly develop the ability to evade protections provided by vaccines, according to CNN.
The World Health Organization has since reiterated its guidance that everyone, even people who have been fully vaccinated, should wear face masks as a protection against infections.
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