US President Biden Offers Civilians Cash Reward To Get Vaccinated To Address COVID-19 Surge

United States President Joe Biden knows he needs to do something to convince reluctant Americans in getting vaccinated. It appears he has resorted to aiding them financially with reports that citizens will be given cash rewards if they get the jab.

Aside from that, the US President also plans to roll out new measures for federal workers. All will be required to provide proof of getting vaccinated and undergo regular testing as well as be subject to mask mandates and travel restrictions.

Considering the United States is lagging in vaccination rates despite the availability of vaccines, these measures are the latest attempt of Biden to ramp up efforts to convince locals to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Especially now that that Delta variant has become a major concern, not to mention surging cases that are also affecting unvaccinated people, it remains to be seen if Biden’s new tactics will work.

A reason for this is misinformation and anti-vaccine sentiments as well as some political division. The ruling covering federal workers is also a new twist considering they were using the vaccination passports before.

In all, these are tougher measures as the virus continues to spread. As of this writing, the United States has 34.9 million cases and has recorded 612,000 deaths. As of July 29, they have an average of 71,621 cases and 321 deaths on average. Tests being made are at 735,636 while hospitalizations are at 38,573 on average per the New York Times.

"Right now too many people are dying or watching someone they love," Biden stated. "With freedom comes responsibility. So please exercise responsible judgment. Get vaccinated for yourself, the people you love, for your country."

Roughly 163.8 million people in the US have been fully vaccinated out of around 330 million. The federal government is the largest employer in the country and Biden’s move could be a model for business and other institutions may follow.

"I know that paying people to get vaccinated might sound unfair to folks who have gotten vaccinated already. But here's the deal: if incentives help us beat this virus, I believe we should use them," Biden explained.