President Biden Continues To Persuade Americans To Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Vaksin Pfizer. (wikimedia Commons/U.S. Secretary of Defense)

JAKARTA - President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris asked citizens of the United States (US) to be injected with the COVID-19 vaccine. Considering that the target for receiving vaccine doses will miss the target on July 4.

"Act now, act now", Biden said in remarks at the White House.

Moreover, deaths and hospitalizations are drastically reduced in places where people get vaccinated. "Death and hospitalization rates are really rising in some places".

Indeed, the US is targeting 70 percent of adults to have received the COVID-19 vaccine by July 4 or to coincide with United States Independence Day. But so far only 65.1 percent of people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

To reach the target, the US will have to more than double its vaccination rate over the next two weeks. The White House has not commented on the possibility of missing the target 70 percent of adults should receive a dose of the vaccine by July 4.

Currently, only 15 states and Washington, DC have reached that level. US government data also shows political disparities.

The states won by former President Donald Trump lag far behind in vaccination rates than those won by Biden.

"When you get a vaccine for yourself, it means you're not likely to pass it on to other people in general because you're less likely to get COVID", said Harris at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

"Isn't that an extension of love for your neighbor?", he said, to which some in the audience responded, "Amen!".

The United States has provided 300 million COVID-19 vaccinations in 150 days. First Lady Jill Biden and other officials have stepped up campaign styles to encourage more Americans to get vaccinated.

Earlier this week, the United States marked a grim milestone, surpassing 600.000 deaths from COVID-19. The US death toll remains the highest in the world, although other countries, including Brazil, the UK, and Russia, have higher death rates for their population size.