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Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey raged on Thursday against his unvaccinated voters, telling reporters they were “letting us down” while White House press secretary Jen Psaki claimed Friday that the Biden administration was not trying to “put the blame” on those who had not yet received a vaccine.
“Let’s be clear on this issue,” Ivey said. “Media, I want you to start reporting the facts. The few cases of COVID are due to unvaccinated people. Almost 100% of new hospitalizations concern unvaccinated people. And deaths certainly occur in unvaccinated people. “
“These people are choosing a horrible lifestyle of self-inflicted pain,” she said. “We have to get people to shoot. The vaccine is the best weapon we have to fight COVID. there is no doubt.
According to data from the Mayo Clinic, only 41.6% of Alabamians have received at least one dose of the vaccine, the fifth lowest percentage of any state in the country. In addition, only 33.9% of the state’s population is considered fully vaccinated, the lowest percentage in the country along with Mississippi.
When asked what it would take to get more people vaccinated, Ivey replied, “I don’t know. You tell me.”
“People are supposed to have common sense,” the governor continued. “It’s time to start blaming unvaccinated people, not ordinary people. It’s the unvaccinated people who let us down… I’ve done everything I can do. I can encourage you to do something, but I cannot make you take care of yourself.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has almost tripled in the past two weeks. Alabama is one of 11 states to have averaged over 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 in the past seven days, along with Florida, California, Texas, Missouri, Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia, Arizona, New York and North Carolina.
Of those 11 states, according to the Mayo Clinic, only California (63.5%) and New York (61.9%) had more than 60% of their eligible residents having received at least one dose of the vaccine. Florida, which recorded the highest seven-day average number of new cases, with more than 8,000, had the second-highest vaccination rate, with 56% of residents receiving at least one dose.
In five of the 11 states – Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana and Missouri – less than half of the state’s population had received at least one dose of the vaccine.
The White House has used several tactics to encourage more Americans to get vaccinated. At a CNN town hall meeting on Wednesday, President Biden proclaimed that the pandemic only occurs “for those who have not been vaccinated.”
“What I tell people who are worried about a new pandemic is to get vaccinated. If you are vaccinated, even if you catch the virus, quote, remove the quotes… If you do, you are not at risk of getting sick, you will probably be asymptomatic, you will not be in a position where your life is in danger ” , he added.
Last week, Psaki sparked outrage when she revealed the White House was flagging “problematic” Facebook posts about the COVID-19 pandemic and the vaccine as part of an attempt to crack down on “misinformation” health matter.
When asked on Friday whether the White House should be tougher on unvaccinated people, Psaki said the administration was “not here to blame or threaten; we are here to provide accurate information.
“We understand his frustration, and we understand the frustration of leaders and public voices trying to say the right thing, to defend the effectiveness of the virus, to save people in their communities,” said the press secretary, which also shut down ended any discussion of a federal vaccine mandate during its daily briefing.
“This is not the role of the federal government; this is the role that institutions, private sector entities and others can play, ”she said. “This is certainly appropriate. Also, local communities will take the steps they need to take to protect people in their communities… Our role and what we will continue to do is make the vaccine available. We will continue to work in partnership to fight disinformation. And we will continue to advocate and work in partnership with local leaders and trusted voices to spread the word. “
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