In sprint to COVID-19 vaccine goal, Biden administration to team up with Black barbershops Nada Hassanein, USA TODAY
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WASHINGTON – With an eye toward 70% of U.S. adults receiving at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose by July 4, President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced a monthlong effort to encourage more Americans to roll up their sleeves for a shot. The more people we get vaccinated, the more success we’re going to have in the fight against this virus,” he said during remarks at the White House, adding that the U.S. could see a dramatically different summer from last year. A summer of freedom. A summer of joy. A summer of get-togethers and celebrations.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced a "National Month of Action" and outlined additional steps his administration is taking to get 70% of US adults at least one Covid-19 shot
COVID Initiative: Biden Enlists Black Barbers and Beauticians
I gotta say, the Biden administration was thinking out of the box on this one. The President and his team are enlisting some of the most influential people in the Black community to help end the COVID pandemic in America: barbers and beauticians.
These are the role models, counselors, therapists, and a lot of times spiritual advisors in the Black community. So, if anyone could help advance America s efforts to reach herd immunity and finally end the pandemic, they can.
Biden teamed up with the Black Coalition Against COVID, University of Maryland Center for Health Equity, SheaMoisture Co., and more to roll out a new vaccine initiative called, Shots at the Shop.
Seeking to expand coronavirus vaccinations across the US, the Biden s administration is now offering new incentives to Americans, including free beer and getting a shot at Black-owned barbershops and beauty salons. Speaking at a White House event on his administration s COVID-19 response and vaccination roll-out and his plans to get 70 per cent of adults partially vaccinated by Independence Day, President Joe Biden said that in just four months since he took over, incredible progress has been made in getting people vaccinated quickly, efficiently, and equitably. Nearly 170 million (17 crore) Americans of every party, every background, every walk of life have stepped up, rolled up their sleeves, and gotten the shot, he said on Wednesday.
Petersburg has one of the 10 worst case rates per 100,000 residents in Virginia. So far, the city has had 3,914 confirmed cases, 165 hospitalizations and 86 deaths to the coronavirus though this week has shown a record-low in case rates statewide.
Amid a national push to get vaccinated, Biden said that the country is in a vastly different place than it was the summer before and that every American should have the right to get vaccinated.
But what do local barbershops think about taking part in the President’s initiative to spread the word about vaccine promotion?
Samuel Cole has owned Salon 22 on S. Crater Road since 2018. He ended up shutting down his salon for several months during the pandemic resulting in a big monetary hit for his business. At this stage he says that a public-facing business like his offers too many interactions that could cause people to get sick, especially because his salon has many older clients.