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Pop star Olivia Rodrigo is meeting with President Joe Biden and his chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, MD, at the White House today as part of the nationwide effort to increase vaccination rates.
The Biden administration is making a continued push to get more young people vaccinated, including working with celebrity influencers and taking part in social media campaigns.
The multi-platinum recording artist is one of the most popular young singer/songwriters today. The videos will be featured on her channels (more than 28 million followers across all channels) and the White House social pages.
The Biden administration has emphasized reaching young people where they are with information about the safety of the vaccine and how well it works. Biden took part in a YouTube town hall with Fauci that drove millions of views to young people. And Fauci has also done several TikTok Q&As with young influencers.
“Tell all of your TikTok buddies to get vaccinated,” Fauci said in a video posted on TikTok by Nia Sioux, the former Dance Moms star.
Vice President Kamala Harris hosted a meeting with dozens of social media influencers about the vaccines. The White House has also worked with gaming platforms to elevate the importance of vaccinations.
The push on social media comes after the White House acknowledged the U.S. fell short of Biden’s July Fourth COVID-19 vaccination goals, saying the country has more work to do to get younger Americans vaccinated. The president had aimed to get 70% of U.S. adults at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot by Independence Day. According to the CDC, 67% of US adults had had at least one shot by then
“There are multiple myths going on out there, anything from aliens taking over your body to becoming magnetic to get[ting] a chip injected in you. It’s all nonsense, so please help us debunk that stuff,” Fauci said in a conversation with Mia Finney, who is 22 years old and a TikTok influencer.
The CDC says 38% of Americans ages 18 to 29 got at least one dose of the vaccine between December and late May.
Sources
TikTok: @miafinney, June 29, 2021, @niasioux, June 29, 2021.
The White House.
CDC: “COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Adults ― United States, December 14, 2020-May 22, 2021.”
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