Barack Obama and Joe Biden urge Americans to get vaccinated in star-studded television special

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The event, titled ‘Roll Up Your Sleeves’ and hosted by singer Ciara and her NFL quarterback husband, Russell Wilson, saw Biden vaccinations as “ the most important thing you can do to protect yourself from Covid-19, including the new variants we see. “

“If you are fully vaccinated, thank you,” the president said. If you’re planning to get vaccinated, make sure you do this. Please.’

The television special comes the night before all Americans 16 and older are eligible for a coronavirus vaccine. A government official told CNN that the White House is launching a media blitz Monday to raise awareness about Americans’ suitability for vaccines.

Some of their reach will target specific constituencies, including Black, Latino and rural communities, through interviews with outlets such as the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, Telemundo and All Ag News. There will also be a series of national media hits featuring doctors.

It’s because concerns about vaccine access and hesitation threaten to grow widespread over the response of the U.S. coronavirus.

Although about 25.4% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, experts estimate that 70-85% of the country must be immune to the virus – either by inoculation or previous infection – to suppress its spread.

Obama appeared alongside former NBA stars Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal on the special, saying, “I want to make sure our communities – especially those … African Americans, Latinos, and young people – understand that this is going to happen. Saving lives and enabling people to get their lives back to normal. And the sooner we get more people vaccinated, the better we will be. ”

Barkley responded by noting how excited he is to receive his second dose of the vaccine, saying that it is “important for us to keep talking about the vaccine.”

“So I’ll tell all my friends,” he continued. ‘Yo, man. Forget what happened before. Any black person, please go out and get vaccinated. ‘

In another part of the special, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s foremost infectious disease expert, spoke with actor Matthew McConaughey about the strict safety protocols followed when the vaccines were developed.

“It wasn’t cutbacks. It didn’t sacrifice safety. It was just a reflection of the extraordinary science,” Fauci said of the speed at which the vaccines were being developed.

The common enemy, continued Fauci, “is the virus. Not each other. So what you have to do is put aside any kind of political disagreement, any kind of hostility you have that we think we should work together if we really get through it. want to come. this. “

The special also featured cameos from former first lady Michelle Obama and a slew of celebrities including Sterling K. Brown, Lana Condor, Billy Crystal, Eric Dane, Ryan Eggold, Dr. Vin Gupta, Faith Hill, Jennifer Hudson, Dale Jarrett. , Ken Jeong, Joe Jonas, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Lopez, Demi Lovato, Joel McHale, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kumail Nanjiani, Ellen Pompeo, Amanda Seyfried, Jane Seymour and Wanda Sykes.

“Now is the time to take care of ourselves and each other so that we can get back to normal,” Biden said closing his remarks.

‘We can do this. We will do this. But don’t let it go now. ‘

CNN’s Kate Sullivan and Arlette Saenz contributed to this report.

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