Senator Murray Urges Action to Increase Vaccine Confidence, Get Shots into Arms, and End COVID-19 Pandemic
ICYMI: “About 65% of American adults are at least partially vaccinated as of Wednesday…” – MORE HERE FROM CNBC
As the U.S. vaccination rate slows, the Senate HELP Committee held a hearing on how to get people vaccinated and get on track to reach the Biden Administration’s goal of 70 percent of adults vaccinated by the Fourth of July
Washington state and others have reached 70 percent of adults vaccinated—but progress has not been consistent across states and demographics
Senator Murray: “At the end of the day, we need people to understand choosing not to get vaccinated doesn’t just put themselves at risk, it puts at risk the people around them”
Senator Murray: “Getting vaccinated also doesn’t just help you stay safe, it helps us get back to school, back to work, back to concerts, sports games, and family gatherings, without people having to fear getting sick with this virus”
***WATCH SENATOR MURRAY’S FULL REMARKS HERE***
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led a bipartisan hearing on vaccines, the United States’ best shot at finally ending the COVID-19 pandemic, with experts from various backgrounds who discussed how to increase vaccine trust and outreach, particularly in communities where there are currently gaps in vaccination rates. In her opening remarks, Senator Murray laid out the significant work that needs to be done to address these gaps and meet President Biden’s goal to vaccinate 70 percent of adults in the United States with their first dose by the Fourth of July.
“While the progress we’ve made so far is promising—it has not been consistent. Some states may have vaccinated over 70 percent of adults with one dose—but some haven’t even reached 50. And even in states like mine there are areas, especially in rural communities, that are falling behind,” said Senator Patty Murray. “Getting vaccinated also doesn’t just help you stay safe, it helps us get back to school, back to work, back to concerts, sports games, and family gatherings, without people having to fear getting sick with this virus—which has now killed over 600,000 people in this country.”
At the hearing, Senator Murray stressed that while many states all over the country are doing well, some have not reached the 50 percent threshold for partially vaccinated adults, and nation-wide only around 65 percent of adults have gotten at least their first vaccine. Furthermore, there are vast inequities in vaccination rates in Black and Latino communities, rural communities, Evangelical communities, and among Republicans. Senator Murray spoke with witnesses about the need to encourage vaccine trust, stop the spread of misinformation, and increase access to vaccines in hard to reach communities.
“As remarkable as the last few months have been, everyone in this room knows—even with our system to develop, distribute, and deploy Covid-19 vaccines, we will not reach the goals in many states and communities if we do not continue to address the hesitancy, misinformation, and other issues holding back Americans from getting vaccinated,” continued Senator Murray. “At the end of the day, we need people to understand choosing not to get vaccinated doesn’t just put themselves at risk, it puts at risk the people around them, including people who are fighting cancer and are immunocompromised, and kids who are not yet eligible for vaccines.”
The hearing included testimony from Dr. Susan Bailey, Immediate Past President of the American Medical Association, Dr. Michelle Nichols, Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs at Morehouse School of Medicine, Curtis Chang, Consulting Professor at Duke Divinity School, and Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, Senior Vice President for U.S. Social Impact at Sesame Workshop.
Senator Murray’s opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:
“President Biden has declared June a ‘Month of Action’ as we near his goal of having 70 percent of adults vaccinated with their first dose by the Fourth of July.
“We’ve made incredible progress toward that goal.
“In fact several states—including my home state of Washington—have already reached it.
“But nationally we’re still short—only 65 percent of adults have received their first dose.
“And while the progress we’ve made so far is promising—it has not been consistent.
“Some states may have vaccinated over 70 percent of adults with one dose—but some haven’t even reached 50.
“And even in states like mine there are areas, especially in rural communities, that are falling behind.
“In some rural counties in our state, the rate of adults who are partially vaccinated is below 40 percent.
“We are also continuing to see huge inequities when it comes to the rate of vaccination—including in Black and Latino communities.
“It is so important we keep pushing—because as the rapid spread of the Delta-variant in India is showing, this pandemic is not over, and the threat it poses is still very real.
“The new Delta-variant of COVID-19 is more contagious, more likely to send people to the hospital, and it’s already here.
“Researchers in Washington state have identified 170 cases in our state, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it now accounts for 10 percent of COVID cases across the country.
“In the United Kingdom, the Delta-variant has already delayed efforts to reopen, and surged among youths aged 12 to 20.
“That should be a red flag, especially as the CDC recently found that even as cases across the country have been trending down, hospitalizations for adolescents due to COVID increased in April.
“We have to stop this pandemic. We have to do it soon. And we know vaccines are the best shot we have.
“Which is why, starting in January and February of 2020, I worked with then-Chairman Alexander and other members of the Committee to fund and scale up COVID-19 vaccination efforts throughout our response bills.
“Working together we made historic investments that allowed experts to create a remarkable system to speed up the manufacturing and development of Covid-19 vaccines, and that I believe will be seen as the cornerstone of our efforts to beat COVID-19 here in the United States and around the world.
“Throughout our work I also pushed to make sure we focused on how we distribute and administer vaccines quickly and equitably, and how we promote vaccine confidence and fight misinformation.
“And I’m pleased the Biden Administration is prioritizing vaccination both domestically and internationally—by providing millions of excess doses to fight this pandemic globally.
“We managed to administer over 200 million vaccines in the U.S. during President Biden’s first 100 days in office.
“But in the past few weeks, our vaccination rate has dropped down to where it was in January—less than a million vaccinations a day.
“As remarkable as the last few months have been, everyone in this room knows—even with our system to develop, distribute, and deploy COVID-19 vaccines, we will not reach the goals in many states and communities if we do not continue to address the hesitancy, misinformation, and other issues holding back Americans from getting vaccinated.
“We have to continue increasing access, and addressing barriers which make it hard for people to get vaccines.
“Especially for people of color, people with disabilities, and people who live in rural areas.
“And as we tear down those barriers, we also have to tell people they can get vaccinated quickly, close to home, and at absolutely no cost.
“We’re also still seeing an alarming number of people say they don’t trust vaccines, and don’t intend to get vaccinated.
“People want to make the right decisions for their families’ health, but too many people with genuine concerns are being misled by false information.
“We need to address the misinformation and make sure people with questions are getting reliable answers.
“Facts, science, and experts are a central part of that work, but encouraging people to get vaccinated isn’t just about getting the “facts right.”
“It’s about trust.
“That’s why we need to make sure we have messages that resonate with people and address their unique concerns, delivered by messengers they know and trust.
“We need to work with health care providers as well as advocates and leaders from every background. People of different races and religions, different geographies and generations, and yes, even different political parties.
“So I’m glad we are having this bipartisan hearing today to talk with experts from different backgrounds about: How we meet people where they are when it comes to trust in vaccines; What messages are most effective in reaching people; Where people are getting their information; And who are the voices they trust the most here.
“I hope our discussion will provide helpful answers to anyone listening who might have concerns about getting vaccinated themselves, people who aren’t sure how to productively discuss these issues with others in their life, and leaders and communities across the country.
“At the end of the day, we need people to understand choosing not to get vaccinated doesn’t just put themselves at risk, it puts at risk the people around them, including people who are fighting cancer and are immunocompromised, and kids who are not yet eligible for vaccines.
“Getting vaccinated also doesn’t just help you stay safe, it helps us get back to school, back to work, back to concerts, sports games, and family gatherings, without people having to fear getting sick with this virus—which has now killed over 600 thousand people in this country.
“I look forward to hearing from our witnesses about how we get these messages out, get vaccines in arms, and finally get through this pandemic.
“And now, I’ll turn it over to Ranking Member Burr for his opening remarks.”
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