Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff encouraged Alabamians to get immunized Thursday at a COVID-19 vaccination site in Birmingham, part of an effort to promote the administration’s goal of seeing 70 percent of adults get at least one dose by July 4th.
Emhoff, who is married to Vice President Kamala Harris, is the nation’s first second gentleman. He spoke at Jackson-Olin High School in Ensley, where he appeared alongside U.S. Secretary for Veteran’s Affairs Denis McDonough and Senior Policy Advisor for COVID-19 Equity Dr. Cameron Webb. Emhoff said he has visited at least 17 cities in recent days, focusing on areas with low rates of vaccination.
“The president threw down a target of 70 percent by July 4th, and here in Birmingham and in Alabama, we have work to do,” Emhoff said.
Alabama has one the nation’s lowest rates of COVID-19 vaccination. Just under 49 percent of adults have received at least one dose so far. Nationwide, that number is 65 percent.
To move that past 70 pecent by July 4, Emhoff said people need to talk to others about the benefits of vaccination. He said he has been going to baseball games and socializing more since he’s been fully vaccinated.
“It’s really the path back to a normal life without fear,” he said. “Attending the baseball games. Going to the weddings. Sending your kids to school. Shopping around and doing it without worry.”
Emhoff emphasized the effectiveness of vaccines, and also their availability. Vaccines are free to everyone and sites such as the one at Jackson-Olin do not require appointments.
Watch the exclusive remarks Emhoff gave to AL.com below.
Some demographic groups have lower rates of vaccination than others. Men have lower rates than women. Blacks and Hispanics have lower rates than whites. And Republicans have shown more vaccine hesitancy than Democrats.
“This is not political,” Emhoff said. “This is an American issue. This has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with our country and everything to do with our communities.”
Webb, who is Black, treated patients on the COVID ward of a Virginia hospital and said he noticed that many of the sickest ones looked like him.
“It hits really hard when you see the disproportionate toll this pandemic takes,” Webb said.
For several months, he worked with the fear that he would catch COVID. But since his vaccination, he said he has felt much safer.
“Let’s go out, let’s spread the word and let’s use our shot of hope,” Webb said.
McDonough encouraged people to get vaccines to protect others, especially veterans. He said hospitals operated by the Veterans Administration recently recorded no deaths from COVID-19 for the first time in more than a year.
“By vaccinating more and more of our neighbors, we are protecting the veterans who have protected us,” McDonough said.
Emhoff warned about the Delta variant, which accounts for about 9 percent of cases in the United States. Emhoff said that variant appears more transmissible, more dangerous and can spread very quickly.
“New variants are coming out and people may have let their guard down thinking we are coming out of this,” Emhoff said. “Well we haven’t.”
Volunteers in Ensley have been going door-to-door to encourage vaccinations and bring patients to the Jackson-Olin clinic, which is operated as a partnership between Alabama Regional Medical Services and Birmingham City Schools.
Emhoff, McDonough and Webb went inside the auditorium at Jackson-Olin, where volunteers manned five vaccination stations offering shots to everyone age 12 and older. They thanked the volunteers and urged everyone to encourage family and friends to get vaccinated.
At one point, Emhoff spoke to a man who arrived to get his vaccine. But business was slow inside the auditorium.
“We need more people in here,” Emhoff said. “Let’s get the word out.”