President Biden urged States Give $100 to Vaccinated Americans

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US President Joe Biden has urged states and local governments to utilize Covid-19 relief funds to offer $100 to the vaccinated Americans. It is part of a greater push of the Biden administration to vaccinate Americans because the Delta variant is increasing nationwide. President Biden will announce the next phase of his vaccination push at the White House. It will include an extension of paid leave to get the vaccine and a new effort to vaccinate students. The US federal government will not authorize new funding for vaccination incentives. The White House is asking states to use the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan funding to provide the cash payments. US administration pointed out the success of similar vaccine incentive programs in Ohio, New Mexico, and Colorado.

President Biden will also announce that all federal workers and onsite contractors will be asked to confirm their vaccination status. The US federal government employs at least 2 million people in its civilian workforce, apart from the military. Anyone who is not fully vaccinated will be required to wear a mask on the job, comply with weekly or twice weekly testing, and stay physically distant from all other employees. The White House said that President Biden will also direct the defense secretary to look into how and when the military will add the COVID-19 vaccine to the long list of required vaccinations for military members. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said getting vaccinated is currently voluntary for service members, but the Pentagon is encouraging all troops to get their shots.

More than 70% of active-duty service members have received the first dose and 62% are fully vaccinated. Point to be noted that at least 70% of American adults have received at least one dose of their coronavirus vaccine. The Biden administration has been pushing those who have not yet received their shots to do so. More than 754,000 doses of the vaccines were administered on Wednesday including 498,000 newly vaccinated people. A coalition of major medical organizations is pushing for mandatory vaccinations for all US health care workers. California and New York City are also requiring all state and city employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo frequent testing. The new spike in coronavirus cases led the CDC to update its guidance on Tuesday. The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans in areas of the country with high transmission of the coronavirus wear masks indoors.