President Joe Biden says the rise of a more transmissible COVID-19 variant in the U.S. “should cause everybody to think twice.”
Speaking Tuesday at the White House as he outlined his administration’s summer plans to boost vaccinations, Biden said the delta variant first identified in India is now responsible for a majority of new virus cases in much of the country.
“It seems to me it should cause everybody to think twice, and it should cause reconsideration especially among young people,” he said, referencing the demographic least at risk of negative outcomes from the virus.
Biden, who fell short of his goal of having 70% of adults get their first COVID shot by July Fourth, says the surest way for Americans to protect themselves and their loved ones is to get vaccinated.
"We have to keep it up, though," he said. "We have to keep it up till we're finished."
He said the White House was working with state and local partners to support hyperlocal vaccination drives in communities with low uptake.
An emphasis will be on getting vaccines to primary care providers and pediatricians, partnerships with employers and an expansion of mobile clinics to connect with people in hard-to-reach communities.
"We need to go to community by community, neighborhood by neighborhood and ofttimes, door to door - literally knocking on doors - to get help to the remaining people protected from the virus," Biden said.
Information from NPR was used in this report.
