President Biden Moves to Speed up Covid Vaccinations

President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that his administration is boosting the weekly supply of vaccines to states and territories over the next three weeks, and that the United States has now secured enough to vaccinate 300 million Americans by early fall.

Vaccine supply to states, territories, and Native American tribes will climb to 10 million doses next week, up from 8.6 million and continue at that rate for the next three weeks. The Administration will also now allow recently retired doctors and nurses to administer COVID-19 vaccines to help ramp up the vaccine rollout.

In a shift, the Biden Administration will now maintain a rolling inventory of only two to three days of vaccine supply in reserve. All other doses will be sent to states and territories as promised.

“It is encouraging to see the federal government pulling out all the stops to get the vaccine into the arms of Americans,” said Robert Roach, Jr., President of the Alliance. “Time is of the essence.”

KHN Poll: Nearly Half of American Adults Now Want the Covid Vaccine — ASAP By Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News

Americans’ reluctance to get vaccinated for Covid-19 is waning, according to a poll released Wednesday.

Nearly half of adults surveyed in January said they have either already been vaccinated or want the vaccine as soon as they can, up from about a third of adults polled in December, according to the latest KFF survey. (KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF.)

About 20 million Americans have been vaccinated for covid since distribution of the first vaccines began in mid-December. The pace has also picked up in recent weeks, with more than one million Americans on average getting vaccinated every day. The survey found that when people know someone close to them who has been vaccinated, they are more likely to want the shots.

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Biden Administration Kills Trump Proposals to Cut Social Security Disability Benefits

Dangerous proposals to make it more difficult for people to qualify for and receive the Social Security disability benefits they earned have been withdrawn by the Biden Administration.

The rules would have affected older workers with disabilities the most, and created unnecessary hurdles and red tape for all people with disabilities, particularly during the pandemic.

“Taken together, these actions by the Biden Administration demonstrate that the new administration is looking out for the millions of Americans who can no longer work full-time due to a disability,” said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance.

Republicans Push New Voting Restrictions

For example, a bill to make it significantly harder to cast a vote by mail is gaining support in Georgia. Voters would be required to make copies of their photo ID and mail it to election officials when they request a mail ballot and again when they return it.

“Record numbers of voters cast ballots in 2020 and the federal government said that there was no widespread voter fraud,” said President Roach. “We need to mobilize and fight any laws that will make it harder for older Americans to make their voices heard.”

Scammers Have Stolen $130 Million in Coronavirus Schemes

Scammers around the world are taking advantage of Americans’ fears of catching Covid-19, according to the Federal Trade Commission. At least 100,000 Americans have fallen victim to these schemes since the beginning of the pandemic last spring.

These scams commonly offer coronavirus vaccines, cures, air filters and tests on fake websites, while others create fabricated coronavirus-related charities and fake “persons in need” schemes. If you receive a solicitation, experts say the best thing to do is delete or hang up immediately. Never open or respond to any messages or click on any links or email attachments from unknown sources. If you are unsure about a message, check with your healthcare provider, as they will be able to pass on the most accurate information about the vaccine.

“Do not give out personal or financial information to strangers who call you and say that providing private information will enable you to receive a Covid-19 vaccine more quickly,” said Joseph Peters, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance. “Hang up instead.”

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