President Joe Biden argued his vaccine mandates are starting to “turn the corner” on the coronavirus pandemic Thursday, but he also urged unvaccinated people to continue getting shots.
“We’re headed in the right direction. We have critical work to do, but we can’t let up now,” the president said in televised remarks, noting that both national cases and hospitalizations are down 47% and 38%, respectively, over the past six weeks. “I’m calling on more businesses to step up. I’m calling on more parents to get their children vaccinated when they are eligible. I’m asking everyone — everyone who hasn’t gotten vaccine, please get vaccinated, till we put this pandemic behind us and accelerate our economic recovery.”
Earlier in his speech, Biden cited “mounting data” suggesting that businesses that implement vaccine requirements for employees “are seeing their vaccination rates rise by an average of 20% or more to well over 90%.”
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“Vaccination requirements should not be another issue that divides us,” he continued. “That’s why we continue to battle the misinformation that’s out there, and companies and communities are stepping up as well to combat this misinformation.”
Biden also confirmed that the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will soon make a determination on vaccinating children between the ages of 5 and 11.
“We have purchased enough vaccines for all children between the ages of 5 and 11,” the president said. “It’ll be convenient for parents to get their children vaccinated at trusted locations, and families will be able to sleep easier at night knowing their kids are protected as well.”
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You can watch his remarks in their entirety below.
