Biden asks all states to offer $100 incentive to newly-vaccinated [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• President Joe Biden has asked all government leaders, both state and local, to give a $100 payment to every newly vaccinated American.
• The announcement came amid the resurgence of COVID-19 cases across the country due to the spread of the delta variant.
• Nearly 60 percent of Americans had been fully vaccinated.

President Joe Biden has called on all government offices ━ state, territorial, and local government ━ to provide a $100 payment incentive to every newly vaccinated individual across the US.

In a statement, the US Department of Treasury said: “Today, the President is calling on state, territorial, and local governments to provide $100 payments for every newly vaccinated American, as an extra incentive to boost vaccination rates, protect communities, and save lives.”

The Treasury also said that it “stands ready to give technical assistance to state and local governments so that they may use the funds effectively to support increased vaccination in their communities.”

The announcement came as the country’s vaccine rollout has slowed down even with the recent surge of new COVID-19 cases brought by the highly-infectious delta variant. With this, hospitalizations and death tolls due to the virus have also climbed up once again.

State governors have started mandating vaccination across their state employees as Biden is also anticipated to enforce a similar policy for federal workers.

In some states, residents have been enticed to receive other benefits just to take the shots. For instance, in Colorado, residents would receive a $100 Walmart gift card after receiving the vaccine. In other states, students aged 12 to 17 are being offered with college scholarships upon taking the vaccines.

In Columbus, Ohio, residents could now avail of the $100 incentive for getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The city’s health department noted that the incentive resulted in a nearly 300 percent surge in vaccinations in the first week alone.

Across all ages, nearly six out of 10 Americans have already completed their vaccinations. Experts said that to achieve herd immunity, the US should at least reach 75 percent.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 99.2 percent of COVID-19 related fatalities since the start of 2021 has been among the unvaccinated US population.

Source: AOL.com