Biden rolls up sleeves for reorganized booster shots in hopes of revitalizing fall campaign

President Biden activated a COVID-19 booster campaign on Tuesday, rolling up his sleeves for pre-winter shots and urging Americans to get their own shots at pharmacies and special clinics across the country.

Mr. Biden directly tied his campaign to the holiday season and cooler temperatures, betting that the new booster would create a healthy Thanksgiving and Christmas period.

“This virus is constantly changing,” Biden said. “People are spending more time indoors, making it much easier for contagious viruses like COVID to spread.”

Biden didn’t frown when the bullet hit his left arm. He answered questions from reporters on various topics during the process and said he would leave future vaccine mandates to local leaders.

But the president has called on every school district, college, and university in America to host at least one vaccination clinic by Thanksgiving. He also lobbied employers to provide paid time off for vaccinations and workplace vaccine clinics, and pharmacy executives who joined him at the White House said they were offering coupons to people getting vaccinated. Stated.

Biden hopes the recalibrated boosters will keep the dominant mutants in check and stave off disease before and after the holidays.

“This year is unlike any other. This year, nearly all deaths are preventable,” he said. “Get the latest COVID shot of him.”

The White House kicked off the VaxUpAmerica Family Vaccine Tour on Wednesday, and government officials are encouraging all families to get vaccinated together at community sites and pop-up clinics.

It will also launch a series of ads about new boosters such as:

• Ads target Black and Hispanic audiences in over 30 markets in English and Spanish.

• Football and country music themed radio ads aimed to reach rural communities in 15 local markets.

• Run print, radio, digital and social ads in 25 markets and reach Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in 7 languages.

• Social and digital advertising on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat and Reddit.

Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna recently refreshed their COVID-19 vaccines for the first time since the pandemic began.

The new shot targets both the original strain of the virus discovered in China and the BA.4 and BA.5 variants that are now most commonly circulating in the United States.

Scientists believe the updated booster could be an upcoming annual ritual, similar to flu shots designed each year for prevalent or expected strains. In the United States, in the decade before the coronavirus pandemic, there were an average of more than 30,000 flu deaths per year.

Although not many positive reactions have been reported, fewer than 40,000 COVID-19 cases have been recorded in the United States per day. Hospitalizations are relatively low, with an average of 26,000 hospitalizations per day in the US, but could spike again as temperatures drop.

Hospitalizations doubled this time last year, and infections spiked around Thanksgiving when an Omicron variant hit the United States.

Biden’s team was hampered by Omicron’s surge last year and was unable to secure an adequate supply of tests for the holiday season.

The White House set up a Postal Service system to mail tests for free, but suspended the program in recent months, blaming Congress for lack of funding.

On Tuesday, he said insurance companies should reimburse people for COVID-19 tests they have purchased.

Still, with a combination of pre-infection and acquired immunity from vaccination, plus more sophisticated boosters, Biden hopes this winter will be better.

While some Americans are hesitant about vaccines, fearing side effects or complaining they won’t completely prevent infection, Biden emphasized vaccines as a bulwark against serious illnesses. is doing. He also pointed to antiviral treatments like Paxlovid for those still sick.

Improved boosters have been available since Workers’ Day. Federal data shows he has been dosed with just over 20 million recalibrated boosters so far in a country with a population of about 330 million, but some people are waiting for it later in the year. There is a possibility.

“Get vaccinated. Update your COVID vaccine,” Biden said. “The truth is not enough people are getting it. We have to change that.”
Biden recovered from COVID-19 in midsummer, and scientists say he should wait three months after clearing the virus before getting another shot.

The CDC recently expanded the use of new boosters to younger groups. This includes Pfizer shots for ages 5+ and Moderna his shots for ages 6+.

Biden outlined steps to stop COVID-19 two weeks before midterm voters took to the polls.

Topics like inflation and abortion have overtaken the virus as major political issues, but the Republican National Committee believes voters will link the lengthy lockdown with Democratic leaders and punish them in November. I said yes.

“Voters will never forget how Democrats closed schools, closed businesses and forced families to mandate,” said RNC Chairman Ronna McDaniel. “Democrats’ COVID theater and fearmongering weren’t about security, they were about power. Fortunately voters say she will abolish the Democratic Party’s one-party dictatorship within two weeks.”