President Joe Biden and his administration are ramping up their efforts to get more Americans vaccinated before the next major holiday, which would include free items, according to a Fact Sheet released by the White House on Wednesday, June 2.
Biden unveiled his “National Month of Action” initiative this week that included an outline of additional steps his administration is set to take in order to get 70 percent of American adults vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 shot by July 4.
The administration’s tactics include free drinks provided by Anheuser-Busch that is slated to “give away free beer,” seltzer, or nonalcoholic beverage to all adults 21 and over if the goal is reached by July 4 to celebrate the country’s progress against COVID. In addition, CVS also launched a “sweepstakes for vaccinated people to win free cruises, tickets to Super Bowl LVI, and cash prizes,” and Major League Baseball teams “will offer on-site vaccinations at games and give free tickets to those who get vaccinated.”
This announcement comes at a time when demand for the vaccine has reportedly been steadily declining. According to an analysis done by NBC News, in order for Biden to reach his Independence Day goal of at least one dose, an additional 16 million people would need to get the shot in the next month — though America is seemingly on pace to do so.
The Biden administration is also teaming up with the Black Coalition Against COVID, the University of Maryland Center for Health Equity and SheaMoisture to launch “Shots at the Shop” in hopes to stir up enthusiasm within 1,000 Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons to serve as vaccination stations and educate members of the community about the vaccines.
In a statement from the White House, Biden warned young adults about getting too lax as summer approaches, reminding them of the dangers of the ongoing pandemic. “This virus, even a mild case, can be with you for months,” the president expressed. “It will impact your social life. It could have long-term implications for your health that we don’t even know about yet or fully understand yet. It’s true, young people are much less likely to die from COVID, but if you do not get vaccinated, you can get COVID sooner or later.”
Vice President Kamala Harris also will lead a nationwide tour to reach the millions of residents who have yet to get their vaccines. First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff also will speak to communities across the country.
Elsewhere, thousands of pharmacies, including Albertsons, CVS, Rite-Aid and Walgreens will stay open late every Friday in June in order to allow more Americans to get vaccinated.
