WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — On Wednesday the President announced his administration met the goal of 200 million shots in American arms one week ahead of his first 100 days in office.
“Today we did it,” President Biden said “The time is now to open up a new phase of this historic vaccination effort.”
To reach more Americans President Biden is asking all US employers to give paid time off to get vaccinated.
“And businesses should know they can provide it without a hit to their bottom line,” he added.
The president says there will be a tax credit available to offset the cost for employers with fewer than 500 employees.
This move tied with making those 16 and older eligible for the vaccine will give a boost to vaccination rates, according to the president.
There is still the uphill battle of getting hesitant Americans comfortable with the vaccine. But the White House said new polling shows confidence is growing.
“Forty percent of respondents said they were more likely to get the vaccine than they were a month ago,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
Psaki said that 71 percent of people who voted for former President Donald Trump received at least one dose of the vaccine or are willing to get it.
President Biden said Wednesday his goal to return to normalcy by the 4th of July is still on track but only if Americans keep up with vaccinations and other protective actions.
“We still have more to do in the months of May and June,” he added.
President Biden said he’ll have more updates in the weeks ahead on what he calls the race to the finish.
