President Biden has Lost Patience with the Unvaccinated

 There are eighty million people in the United States that could get the Coronavirus Vaccine and have chosen not to.

President Joe Biden has had it with them.

In remarks to the country, the President, who continued to call this current stage of the Coronavirus "the pandemic of the vaccinated," expressed impatience with the 80 million unvaccinated people in the country and outlined steps the Biden/Harris Administration would take to increase the vaccination rate in the country.

The President began his comments to the American People, noting that the majority of the country (about 200 million people) is either fully vaccinated or has at least received one shot of one of the COVID 19 vaccines.

Mr. Biden also touted that the American Economy has made strides, "averaging 700,000 new jobs a month in the past three months."

The President then pivoted and discussed the 25 percent of the country (80 million people,) who for several reasons (including being encouraged by ultra-right science-denying Know Nothing Republican Governors who are tripping over each other to gain the advantage for the 2024 Presidential and Vice Presidential races,) have chosen not to receive any of the available Coronavirus vaccines.

Reminding the people that "this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated," Mr. Biden noted that only one person in 160,000 fully vaccinated from COVID have been hospitalized per day during this recent Delta Variant surge. He later noted that there has been one COVID 19 case for every 5,000 vaccinated Americans.

To the people who said that they were waiting for FDA approval of the vaccines, the President noted that it arrived last week so there is no excuse to wait anymore.

To those who say they should have the freedom to decide whether or not to take the vaccine, Mr. Biden said: "This is not about freedom or personal choice. It’s about protecting yourself and those around you, the people you work with, the people you care about, the people you love."

The President then outlined a series of steps to increase the ranks of the vaccinated. Those include:

• "The Department of Labor is developing an emergency rule to require all employers with 100 or more employees that together employee over 80 million workers to ensure their workforces are fully vaccinated or show a negative test at least once a week."
• Extending vaccination requirements to "those who work in hospitals, home healthcare facilities, and our other medical facilities, a total of 17 million healthcare workers. If you’re seeking care at a health facility."
• Requiring federal contractors and their employees to be vaccinated.
• Giving people in businesses with more than 100 employees paid time off to get vaccinated.
• Calling for business owners that run large gathering venues like movie theaters and sporting stadiums to require their workers and guests to be vaccinated.
• Calling for physicians to reach out to their unvaccinated patients in the next two weeks and try to convince them to get the COVID 19 shots.
• Saying "vaccination requirements are nothing new" in schools and families, Biden called for parents to vaccinate their 12 to 17-year-old children. He also said he supported a vaccine for those under 12 when it is available and called for all families to get vaccinated to help protect those children.
• Called for 100 percent of teachers to get vaccinated. Currently, it is at 90 percent. Mr. Biden also announced an Executive Order requiring all Head Start instructors to be vaccinated. The President also said that he would have the federal government pay educators whose pay was cut by Republican Governors who pursue anti-masking policies.
• Providing booster shots for eligible Americans when the FDA and CDC approve the administering of them.
• Increasing the supply of affordable rabid Coronavirus testing at outlets like Walmart, Amazon, and Kroger.
• The Transporation Safety Administration will double the fines of airline passengers who refuse to wear masks.
• Expanding COVID 19 disaster loan programs.
• The Department of Defense will double the number of military health teams in American hospitals.

Mr. Biden said that close to 100 million American workers would be affected by his executive actions.

The President then reached out again to the unvaccinated, saying:

"My message to unvaccinated Americans is this: What more is there to wait for? What more do you need to see? We’ve made vaccinations free, safe, and convenient. The vaccine has FDA approval. Over 200 million Americans have gotten at least one shot. You’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us. So please do the right thing, but just don’t take it from me. Listen to the voices of unvaccinated Americans who are lying in hospital beds, taking their final breath, saying, “If only I’d gotten vaccinated. If only.” It’s a tragedy. Please don’t let it become yours."

Mr. Biden closed by stating:

"We’ve made so much progress during the past seven months of this pandemic. The recent increases in vaccinations in August already are having an impact in some states, where case counts are dropping in recent days. Even so, we remain at a critical moment, a critical time. We have the tools, now we just have to finish the job with truth, with science, with confidence, and together as one nation. Look, we’re the United States of America. There’s nothing, not a single thing we’re unable to do if we do it together. So let’s stay together. God bless you all, and all those who continue to serve on the front lines of this pandemic, and may God protect our troops. Get vaccinated."

It is time for the unvaccinated to get with the program and get vaccinated.