President Biden on Wednesday laid out an aggressive campaign to meet his goal of having 70 percent of U.S. adults at least partially vaccinated against the coronavirus by July 4, with a string of new initiatives including an offer of free child care for parents and caregivers while they get their shots and a national canvassing effort resembling a get-out-the-vote drive.
Declaring June a “National Month of Action,” Mr. Biden appeared at the White House to implore Americans not only to get vaccinated, but also to join in the push to persuade their friends and neighbors to do so. The plan he outlined includes participation by celebrities, athletes, social media influencers and private companies like United Airlines, which is offering a year of free flights in a sweepstakes open to vaccinated Americans.
As of Wednesday, about 63 percent of adults have received at least one shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 12 states have passed the 70 percent mark, according to the White House. But the challenge to reach all eligible Americans remains a daunting task. While public health experts welcomed the continuing improvement in vaccination rates, they noted that it meant the pool of the most willing adults was shrinking.
The White House push will take on the tone of a political campaign and a get-out-the-vote effort, with phone banking and text messages to people in areas with low vaccination rates. Beginning this weekend, Mr. Biden said in remarks at the White House, thousands of people will knock on doors and canvass in neighborhoods close to walk-in clinics where people can get vaccinated on the spot.
Mr. Biden also used his remarks to take a victory lap, appearing with Vice President Kamala Harris in front of a blue placard bearing the slogan “We Can Do This.” He boasted of an economic recovery proceeding at “the fastest pace in nearly four decades,” and implored Americans to get their shots, promising that vaccination would bring “freedom from fear” — an echo of the president after whom he is modeling himself, Franklin D. Roosevelt.
“We need everyone across the country to pull together to get us over the finish line,” he said.
The president announced several new initiatives. Four of the nation’s largest child care providers will offer free care to parents and caregivers while they get vaccinated. “Shots at the Shop” will engage Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons to give out educational materials and host on-site vaccination events with local health care providers. The National Association of Broadcasters will back a local radio and television advertising push, and a new “Covid-19 College Challenge” is aimed at vaccinating college and university students.
The administration has also created a new web page, vaccines.gov/incentives.html, where Americans can learn about incentives for vaccinated people — including free giveaways on items such as beer; airline tickets and cruises; and tickets to sporting events like the Super Bowl and Major League Baseball games.
Wednesday’s announcement comes on the heels of other White House efforts intended to encourage vaccination, including last month’s pledge by Lyft and Uber to offer free rides. An Uber spokesman said Wednesday that 60,000 people have taken advantage of the offer since it began offering the service last Monday.
White House officials, previewing the president’s remarks on condition of anonymity, said in an interview that they were aware that the deeper they got into the vaccination campaign, the harder it would be to get people vaccinated. The president’s goal, they said, is to make vaccination easy, free and convenient — and even a little bit fun.
Demand for the vaccine is dropping; the Federal Emergency Management Agency reports that 351 federally supported vaccination sites have closed as of May 21, leaving a total of 1,619 nationwide. As of Wednesday, providers are administering about 1.1 million doses per day on average, about a 67 percent decrease from the peak of 3.38 million reported on April 13, according to C.D.C. data.
Lack of child care remains a major barrier to vaccination, experts say. The C.D.C. recently reported that vaccination coverage among adults was lower among those living in counties with lower socioeconomic status and with higher percentages of households with children, single parents, and people with disabilities.
In previewing the president’s announcement, White House officials said two of the four providers — KinderCare and Learning Care Group, which together have more than 2,500 sites around the country — will offer free, drop-in appointments to any parent or caregiver who needs support to get vaccinated or recover from vaccination.
The Y.M.C.A., with more than 500 sites nationwide, will offer drop-in care during vaccination appointments, the officials said. And Bright Horizons, which partners with more than 1,100 employers to provide child care, will also offer free care to support the vaccination of more than 10 million workers employed by the companies they serve.
As the rate of vaccinations in the United States has climbed, cases have plummeted.
But experts are warning Americans not to get complacent, and say that it is likely the country will continue to see outbreaks in certain regions like the South, where vaccination rates are low and the summer heat is driving people indoors, where the coronavirus spreads more efficiently.
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