Pop star visits White House in push for shots
Rodrigo part of effort to sway young adults
WASHINGTON — Olivia Rodrigo wants people to know that the COVID-19 vaccines are “good 4 u.”
The 18-year-old pop star and internet sensation was at the White House on Wednesday to meet with President Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci as part of the administration’s efforts to encourage younger Americans to roll up their sleeves and get a coronavirus shot.
Rodrigo, who rose to fame as a Disney Channel star, was set to tape a joint social media message with the president and the nation’s top infectious disease expert. She also made an appearance at the start of the daily White House press briefing “to help spread the message of the importance of youth vaccination.”
“It’s important to have conversations with friends and family members encouraging all communities to get vaccinated,” she said. She encouraged people to use vaccines. gov to find their nearest vaccination clinic and get information about the vaccines.
While nearly 160 million Americans have been fully vaccinated, or over 55 percent of the population, young adults have shown less interest.
Ohio is planning another prize program to encourage vaccinations, and Gov. Mike Dewine urged the government to give the vaccines full approval instead of just emergency authorization to ease people’s doubts.
“The reality is we now have two Ohios,” said Bruce Vanderhoff, the state’s chief medical officer. “An
Ohio that is vaccinated and protected on the one hand, and an Ohio that is unvaccinated and vulnerable to delta on the other.”
Michigan already started a COVID-19 vaccine sweepstakes and announced the first four $50,000 winners Wednesday. Bigger prizes, including a $2 million jackpot, are coming.
In Missouri, second only to Arkansas with the worst COVID-19 diagnosis rate over the past week, political leaders in and around St. Louis have stepped up efforts to get people vaccinated through gift cards and by enlisting beauty salons and barbershops to dispense information.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the U.S., reported its fifth straight day Tuesday of more than 1,000 new cases.
Chicago announced that unvaccinated travelers from Missouri and Arkansas must either quarantine for 10 days or have a negative COVID-19 test.
Connecticut lawmakers voted Wednesday to again extend Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont’s emergency declarations. The move keeps in place orders requiring masks in certain settings.
An Alabama military base has ordered troops to show proof of vaccination before they can go maskless as the state sees an uptick in COVID-19 cases. The measure was put in place Tuesday at Fort Rucker, home to the Army’s aviation program.