US adminstration ramps up persuasion tactics to promote COVID shots

COVID vaccination rates across the United States plateaued many months ago, but the fact that most Americans seem to have lost their appetite for repeated boosters doesn't mean that the government has despaired of using up the doses gathering dust in their emergency stockpiles.

At a press briefing by the White House COVID-19 Response Team earlier this month, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra revealed some of the measures the administration is using to promote continued submission to vaccination. Based on his description of the lengths to which the government is going to prod people to get those shots, it appears that this is a “health” campaign on an unprecedented scale.

“Right now, we are working hard to ensure that these new, updated vaccines are widely and equitably available to all Americans,” Becerra said, referring to the new bivalent vaccine that combines “protection” from the original Wuhan strain of the virus with components supposed to protect against several Omicron variants. (This bivalent vaccine was tested against eight mice, all of which contracted COVID. However, researchers claim that the mice had an “enhanced response” to the virus and therefore it's a good idea for humans to get the shot too.)

Becerra then described some of the methods of persuasion being used. The government has suffered a number of legal and other setbacks in mandating vaccines of late, which could explain the renewed stress on behavior modification tactics.

We are engaging trusted partners and messengers to help spread the word.  We’re launching a national coordinated effort to collaborate with national, regional, and local community-based organizations to help meet people where they are. . . . 

As we work to deliver vaccines equitably, our focus is on reaching the highest-risk Americans, particularly people ages 50 and up.
 
We’ll be ramping up our education and outreach efforts this month as we head into October, when we expect more people to get their updated shots, potentially together with their flu shot, as Dr. Jha has mentioned. [Dr. Jha has said that now that people can get flu and COVID shots together, he finally understands why God gave humans two arms.]
 
And heading into Thanksgiving, we’ll emphasize the importance of getting an updated shot.
 
So, for example, in the coming weeks, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will reach out to the more than 16 million people who will receive Medicare emails to share information on these updated vaccines, including when and how to get them.  And we’re engaging trusted partners and messengers to help spread the word. . . .
 
We’ve engaged well over 1,000 organizations that have reached over 26 million people and held hundreds of community events.
 
And we launched the COVID-19 Community Corps, a national network of nearly 20,000 community leaders and volunteers who serve as trusted voices.
  
So, in September, the local chapters of the national PTA — the Parent Teacher Association — will host “Shots to Go” vaccination clinics throughout the month.
 
Organizations with strong reach among racial and ethnic minority communities, including the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Montague Cobb, and the National Hispanic Pastors Alliance, will host community health expos and vaccine drives throughout America in various cities.
 
Faith-based groups, such as the Women’s Missionary Society Foundation, will host a series of vaccine events at AME churches in several states.
 
And groups with strong reach across rural communities, such as Healthy Trucking of America, will host pop-up clinics.

All of this surely costs a pretty penny.  The government is requesting additional appropriations from Congress to the tune of $22 billion to put this plan into action.  This could be part of the reason why certain individuals were so upset with Biden for stating that the pandemic is over. Biden's comments were seen as damaging the administration's chances of pushing through this massive new funding bill for the “COVID emergency”. (Biden later retracted.)