White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, D.C, on July 30, 2021. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The White House has continued to push Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as the Delta variant has contributed to a rise in case numbers. At a press briefing on Friday, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (D) told reporters that the Delta variant has high viral loads, which is why it is more contagious.
“We need more people to get vaccinated to stop the spread of this variant,” said Jean-Pierre. “So, we have to continue to make that effort. Vaccinated and unvaccinated people infected with the Delta variant have higher viral loads, meaning more virus in their body than with previous variants. The last two did not have that.”
Jean-Pierre’s comments came after Joe Biden announced on Thursday that federal employees would need to get vaccinated or face consistent COVID-19 tests and threatened companies if they want to work with the federal government, they would need to push employees to get inoculated.
Tune in as I deliver remarks on the next steps in our effort to get more Americans vaccinated and combat the spread of the Delta variant. https://t.co/WwFw2nT72p
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 29, 2021
Additionally, companies including the Walt Disney Company, have released statements mandating employees get vaccinated before returning to work and employees working in-person who have not been inoculated, now have 60 days to follow the new protocols.
GOP Govs. Kristi Noem (S.D.) and Ron DeSantis (Fla.) have pushed back against the government’s push, suggesting that trying to force Americans to get vaccinated will not have a positive outcome. Other Republican lawmakers, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, have been working to introduce amendments that aim to block the federal government from creating and enforcing vaccine passports.
Source: One America News Network
