Pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo visited the White House on Wednesday to satisfy President Joe Biden and his chief Covid-19 medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, to record videos to encourage children to urge vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. “I am beyond honored and humbled to be here today to assist spread the message about the importance of youth vaccination,” Rodrigo said from the White House press briefing room podium. Youth vaccination rates still lag significantly behind the overall American population.
Rodrigo continued: “I’m in awe of the work President Biden and Dr. Fauci have done and were happy to assist lend my support to the present important initiative. it is vital to possess conversations with friends and relations encouraging all communities to urge vaccinated, and truly get to a vaccination site, which you’ll do more easily than ever before, given what percentage sites we’ve and the way easy it’s to seek out them at vaccines.gov.” The videos are going to be featured on the 18-year-old’s social media channels also because of the White House’s accounts. Rodrigo is that the singer of hits “Drivers License,” and “good 4 u,” and has quite 28 million followers across her channels.
Rodrigo will “record videos about the importance of children getting vaccinated, including answering important questions children have about getting vaccinated,” a White House official told CNN.
“Hey, I’m Olivia Rodrigo and today I’m at the White House meeting with President Biden and Dr. Fauci because it is so important that we all get vaccinated,” Rodrigo said in one video posted after her briefing room appearance. “It doesn’t matter if you’re young and healthy, getting the vaccine is about protecting yourself, your friends, and your family. Let’s get vaccinated!” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday that Rodrigo offered to return to the White House.
“We got to reach people, meet people where they’re and chatting with children — people that are under the age of 18, many of whom as we have seen across the country are huge Olivia Rodrigo fans — hearing from her that … getting vaccinated may be thanks to keeping yourself safe, how to make sure you’ll see your friends, how you’ll make sure you can attend concerts, how you’ll make sure that you’ll live a healthy life is a crucial a part of what we’re trying to try to here,” Psaki told reporters at a White House briefing. Psaki added: “I will say, not every 18-year-old uses their time to return do that so we appreciate her willingness to.”
The visit comes because the White House ramps up its efforts to urge children vaccinated against Covid-19, particularly because the highly transmissible Delta variant spreads across the state. The Delta variant now comprises quite half the cases within us and is spreading in areas with low vaccination rates. Rodrigo’s visit to the White House was first announced on Instagram. Biden’s account posted a photograph of the President’s younger self and wrote within the caption: “I know this youth would’ve gotten vaccinated, but we have got to urge other children protected also. Who’s willing to help?” Rodrigo commented, “I’m in! see you tomorrow at the white house!”
Only 1 / 4 of youngsters ages 12 to fifteen are fully vaccinated, which is a smaller amount than the other eligible group, consistent with the newest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That group became eligible to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine two months ago.
As of Tuesday, 33.5% of USA citizens age 12 to fifteen have received a minimum of one dose of the vaccine, with 24.9% fully vaccinated, per CDC data. Forty-five and a half percent of USA citizens ages 16 and 17 have received a minimum of one dose, with 37.1% fully vaccinated. And 50.5% of USA citizens ages 18 to 24 have had a minimum of one dose, with 41.6% fully vaccinated, all of those younger groups far behind the national average of 48.1% fully vaccinated. Biden recently announced his administration would be stepping up efforts to urge vaccines to pediatricians and other providers who serve younger people in order that adolescents ages 12 to 18 can get vaccinated as they are going for checkups before returning to high school and/or starting fall sports. As of Wednesday afternoon, 67.7% of folks adults had a minimum of round, and 159.7 million adults were fully vaccinated, consistent with the CDC.