The Biden Administration is using a slew of incentives as it plots out a “vaccine sprint” with the goal of getting 70% of American adults at least partially vaccinated by the Fourth of July. Wednesday afternoon, President Biden will announce an initiative that will include free beer, childcare, and even tickets to sporting events as ways to motivate people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to Courtney Rowe, the director of strategic communications and engagement for the White House’s COVID response team, this month is essential to keeping the country on pace to return to normal life this summer after more than a year of pandemic-induced restrictions.
“We’re looking at June as a critical month in our path to normal and as a critical month in order to continue the progress we’re making in our vaccination campaign.”
Andy Slavitt, the White House’s senior adviser on the COVID response, detailed the president’s “month of action” in a Twitter post.
The White House has struck partnerships with the private sector to regain momentum for vaccinations.
Among the new incentives is free beer from Anheuser-Busch. The company revealed it will give away a $5 digital gift card to 200,000 adults over the age of 21 if the U.S. reaches the 70% vaccination goal by July 4. Details on how to sign up can be found here.
Then there’s also the promise of free airplane tickets for a year.
The White House is also teaming up with four of the leading names in early childcare to offer parents flexibility to go out and get the vaccine. Centers such as KinderCare, Learning Care Group, Bright Horizons and more than 500 YMCAs around the country will provide free childcare coverage so parents can go get the vaccine or who need child-care assistance while recovering from possible side effects.
The administration is also extending vaccine outreach and doses to more than a thousand Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons. This initiative was inspired by the success of the University of Maryland’s Health Advocates In-Reach and Research (HAIR) program, which used local black-owned salons to offer vaccine shots to the communities.
The White House is also ramping up efforts to help employers run their own vaccination clinics on company property. In addition, major pharmacies are extending hours through June to help make it easier for people to get the vaccine after the workday is over. Thousands of pharmacies will also be staying open overnight on Fridays this month to provide even more opportunities. This is an addition to other incentives that are being offered to encourage vaccinations, such as Ohio’s Vax-a-Million lottery, free Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and giveaways such as Kroger offering free groceries for a year.
This new push to re-energize the vaccination process comes as the rate of new vaccinations has slowed dramatically.
The latest stats indicate nearly 63% of adults in the U.S. have gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with 133.6 million people fully vaccinated. But the average new vaccination rate is now below 600,000 per day, down from more than 800,000 when incentives like lotteries were first announced, and sharply lower from a peak of nearly 2 million per day back in early April when demand for shots was much higher.
Vice President Kamala Harris will also lead a “We Can Do This” bus tour to drum up enthusiasm for the vaccines. She will be joined by First Lady Jill Biden and the Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff. Harris’ bus tour will be centered on the South, where vaccination rates are hovering near the bottom of the U.S. Other officials from the Biden Administration will travel to other areas where vaccination rates are below average, such as parts of the Midwest.