Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Says Vaccine Campaign Will Go Door-To-Door As Urgency Spikes
The Washington Post: Vaccines Door-To-Door: Immunization Push Goes Granular As Delta Variant Looms
President Biden on Tuesday announced a summer-long effort to reach Americans still resistant to getting vaccinated, including going door-to-door and visiting places of worship, as he fights what growing evidence suggests is evermore entrenched resistance from vaccine holdouts. In remarks from the White House, the president pointed to increased concerns over the delta variant of the coronavirus, which is more transmissible and has forced some European countries back into lockdowns, as he reiterated his exhortation that Americans get the vaccine. (Wootson Jr. and Pager, 7/6)
CNN: Biden Predicts US To Reach 160 Million Fully Vaccinated Americans By The End Of This Week
President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that the United States is projected to reach the mark of 160 million fully vaccinated Americans by the end of this week and that his administration will engage in targeted outreach to get more people vaccinated, after the nation fell short of his initial July Fourth goals. (Sullivan, 7/6)
The Hill: White House Signals New COVID-19 Strategy As Delta Variant Spreads
President Biden on Tuesday pleaded with Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as the White House signaled a shift toward grassroots tactics to reach those who have yet to get a shot. Biden, who just days earlier hosted more than a thousand people at the White House for an outdoor Independence Day gathering, cautioned against getting overconfident in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic as the delta variant contributes to rising case counts in less vaccinated parts of the country. (Chalfant and Samuels, 7/6)
The New York Times: Biden Makes New Push For Vaccinations, But Experts Say More Is Needed
Faced with a steep decline in vaccination rates, President Biden said on Tuesday that his administration would send people door to door, set up clinics at workplaces and urge employers to offer paid time off as part of a renewed push to reach tens of millions of unvaccinated Americans. But top health experts say that it is simply not enough, and that the president needs to take the potentially unpopular step of encouraging states, employers and colleges and universities to require vaccinations to slow the spread of the coronavirus. (Shear and Weiland, 7/6)
Politico: Biden's Covid Vaccine Push Crashes Into Reality
For all the celebrity plugs, offers of free beer, and cash lotteries, the national vaccination push is hitting a brick wall of reality. Conspiracies, lethargy and a sense that the pandemic is on the wane have intervened as the demand for the vaccine has dropped nationally from 2 million shots per day in early May to closer to 1 million per day by mid-June. (Korecki, 7/7)
