Vaccine mandate US: what has Biden said about the un-vaccinated Americans?

The White House said on Friday that millions of federal contractors must be vaccinated against covid-19 by 8 December and that the administration will add clauses to future government contracts mandating inoculations. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Sept. 9 requiring federal contractors to mandate vaccinations, but many U.S. companies with federal contracts have awaited formal guidance from the White House before moving forward.

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The decision comes after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday backed a booster shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for Americans aged 65 and older, adults with underlying medical conditions and adults in high-risk working and institutional settings.  The decision by CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is aligned with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's authorization of the shot earlier this week and follows an August announcement of a broad booster rollout from her and other top U.S. health officials.

Joe Biden added that the booster shots to protect against the coronavirus will be free and easily accessible, noting that he himself would get the vaccine as soon as possible. Delivering remarks at the White House, he also said 60 million Americans were now eligible for booster shots, 20 million of them as of 24 September.

Biden on un-vaccinated

“The vast majority of Americans are doing the right thing,” US President Joe Biden said as he  addressed the nation, noting that three-fourths of those eligible have gotten at least one shot. He criticized the more than 70 million people who haven’t yet started the vaccination process. “And to make matters worse, there are elected officials actively working to undermine with false information the fight against covid-19. This is totally unacceptable.”