US President Joe Biden has called on states to pay people $100 (€84) to get vaccinated in an attempt to stem the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus as cases continue to rise.
US President Joe Biden. Credit: Naresh777 / Shutterstock
Joe Biden has laid out new plans to tackle rising Covid cases in the face of the Delta variant. Credit: Naresh777 / Shutterstock
Biden announced this new plan on Thursday alongside a scheme to require federal workers to provide proof of vaccination or be required to undergo regular testing in a bid to boost stagnating vaccination rates.
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The US has suffered some issues in vaccinating the public owing to scepticism and a rise in anti-vaccine hysteria, which has led to coronavirus cases surging. The EU recently surpassed the US in the number of people vaccinated against Covid-19.
The US continues to lag behind other developed nations in vaccine rollout.
The nation currently employs over 2 million federal employees in a number of roles, as well as a further 570,000 postal workers - more than anywhere else in the world. Postal workers will not be affected by this change.
Biden previously expressed opposition to measures such as vaccine passports. These new decisions show the president taking a tougher stance on attempting to curb the spread of the disease.
He told the White House: "You want to know how we put this virus behind this? I will tell you how: We need to get more people vaccinated.
"Right now too many people are dying or watching someone they love dying. I know that paying people who get vaccinated might sound unfair to folks who got vaccinated already. But here's the deal: If incentives help us beat this virus, I believe we should use them. We all benefit if we can get more people vaccinated."
A little over half - roughly 164 million people - have fully been vaccinated, according to the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC). 70% of adults have received their first jabs, but vaccination rates remain fragmented depending on the state.
The Southern and Western US, in which fewer people have received vaccines, are now seeing outbreaks of Covid.
Covid-related deaths in the US have also surged beyond 2,000 per week.
The money to fund the incentive will come from the $1.9 trillion (€1.59 trillion) American Rescue Plan.
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At the White House conference, Biden also addressed conspiracy theories that claim the vaccines are unsafe.
He warned the public "nothing was political" about the jabs, referencing the fact they were approved under Trump - a Republican - and rollout was increased under his own administration.
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