The blame for the country falling short of President Joe Biden’s July 4 vaccination goal falls squarely on the shoulders of adults aged 18-24, but the administration is redoubling its outreach efforts aimed at young people, especially as the delta variant threatens to become the dominant strain within the United States.
White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients predicted on Tuesday that while 70% of adults over the age of 27 are expected to be partially vaccinated by July 4, that younger demographic, which, as of Thursday, was only 42% partially vaccinated, won’t reach the same level of shots for weeks or even months. White House officials told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday that to boost vaccinations in younger adults, the administration is prioritizing “getting information and persuasion around getting vaccinated to the places they get information from” or “meeting them where they already are.”
“With younger people, it’s just that, to date, the pandemic has not hit them as personally,” the official noted. “You have grandparents that may have died, but young people are able to recover or had not been touched by the pandemic as closely” and therefore might not be receiving the breadth of information older, more vulnerable populations were ingesting.
WHITE HOUSE CONCEDES COUNTRY WILL FALL SHORT OF JULY 4 VACCINE GOAL BECAUSE OF LAGGING 18-26 DEMO
On that front, the administration is partnering with a number of private companies to achieve what one official referred to as a “culturally competent” media strategy and is actively courting new partners that will be announced in the coming days and weeks.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki mentioned during Tuesday’s briefing that Anthony Fauci “has done several Q&As with TikTok and Instagram influencers” to provide vaccination information, but the White House additionally pointed out to the Washington Examiner that there are campaigns with Pinterest, Spotify, and Riot Games.
The Pinterest initiative highlights a special coronavirus pin that can help users find vaccination sites close to their location, Spotify is running sweepstakes where vaccinated users can win tickets to a number of concerts across the country, and Riot Games is running government public service announcements during e-game livestreams and offering special in-game bonuses to vaccinated players.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff announced a host of other partnerships with private companies during a Thursday call with reporters. Panera and Chipotle will offer free bagels and burritos for vaccinated individuals while the delivery service GoPuff will offer vaccinated users a $25 delivery credit. Emhoff added that Twitch would join Riot in running promotions on its livestreams.
Furthermore, the administration’s paid media campaigns are running “We Can” spots, highlighting in English, Spanish, and Asian American and Native Pacific Islander languages that everyone over the age of 12 is eligible to be vaccinated free of charge.
The administration also previously launched major campus-affiliated vaccine initiatives, the Student Community Corps and the COVID-19 Challenge, and is working with summer camps across the country to get campers vaccinated before they attend sessions. It is also coordinating town halls with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association to provide parents with the information they need regarding child vaccinations.
A White House official explained the current sense of urgency in wanting to vaccinate young people as a factor of the emerging delta variant.
The case “uptick” related to the delta variant is manifesting in younger people, not older people who are already vaccinated.
“We are doing everything we can with coalitions and local media, on top of all the national media stuff, to just talk about the delta variant, how dangerous it is, and at the same time, how you have the ticket out of not having to worry about it,” the official added in closing.
Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, speaking with reporters on the same call as Emhoff, noted that “we know that two doses of the mRNA vaccines are effective against the Delta variant.”
“The bottom line is, the benefits of vaccination have far, far exceed the risks,” Murthy continued. “It is the best thing that we can do for our health.”
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Biden himself had already begun messaging around the delta variant, a strain that on Friday he called “more easily transmissible, potentially deadlier, and particularly dangerous for young people.”
“The good news is we have the solution. The science and the data are clear,” he said during a speech at the White House. “The best way to protect yourself against these variants are to get fully vaccinated. So, please, please, if you have one shot, get the second shot as soon as you can so you’re fully vaccinated. And if you haven’t gotten vaccinated yet, get vaccinated now. Don’t put it off. It’s free. It’s easy. It’s convenient.”
You can watch Biden’s remarks in their entirety below.
