Biden says 'message is getting through' on COVID vaccinations
President Biden delivered remarks on the progress being made in the fight against COVID-19 in the U.S. He said that in the past two weeks, there has been a 55 percent increase in the average number of new people getting vaccinated every day.
Video Transcript
JOE BIDEN: And I think there's a clear link between the lowest vaccine-- I know, I don't think, actually-- the lowest vaccinated states and the states with the highest case rates. This past week, the most vaccinated state in America, Vermont, has seen just five new cases-- five-- per day of COVID-19 for every 100,000 people who live in that state. That means, on any given day, only 30 people in the entire state of Vermont got COVID-19. Nearby Maine, which has vaccinated almost 80% of adults, has seen just six new cases per 100,000.
But the state with the lowest vaccination rates are seeing 10 to 20 times as many new cases per 100,000 people. It's moving like wildfire through the unvaccinated community. And it's heartbreaking, particularly because it's preventable. That's why we're doing everything we can to get more people vaccinated. And we're seeing real results.
In the past two weeks, we've seen a 55% increase in the average number of new people getting vaccinated every day. In the last seven days alone, nearly 3 million Americans have gotten their first shot. That's the highest seven-day total in a month. Importantly, over the past two weeks, the eight states with the highest current case rates have seen a doubling of the number of people newly vaccinated each day. The message is getting through, apparently.
Louisiana has seen a 212% increase in the average number of newly vaccinated people in that state per day, going from 3,600 to over 11,000 people vaccinated per day. Arkansas is up 99%. Mississippi is up 125%. Alabama is up 186%, going from 3,200 to 9,150 people vaccinated per day.
This will make a big difference. These are encouraging signs. We have to continue our aggressive efforts to vaccinate the unvaccinated.
