President Joe Biden issued a warning on Monday that Americans who choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 will “ultimately end up paying the price.”
“If the unvaccinated get vaccinated, they will protect themselves and other unvaccinated people around them. If they do not, states with low vaccination rates may see those rates go up — may see this progress reversed,” he said.
“Ultimately, those who are not vaccinated will pay,” Biden continued. “The vaccinated will continue to be protected against severe illnesses, but others may not be if you’re not vaccinated. But given that the vaccination is convenient and free, it will be a tragedy if — and a needless one — to see COVID cases among those who do not get vaccinated go up.”
Biden admitted that coronavirus deaths are down 81% across the nation, but said he couldn’t “promise that it will continue this way.”
He predicted future “flareups” and “setbacks,” insisting that “we are not done fighting this virus.”
“We still have tens of millions left to vaccinate,” he added. “But we are making significant progress.”
Republicans have slammed Biden for being unwilling to admit the coronavirus pandemic is no longer a threat.
In Texas, for example, officials reported zero new COVID-19 deaths this week just two months after Biden claimed the state was being governed by “Neanderthal” officials because Gov. Greg Abbott had repealed all coronavirus restrictions.
“I think it’s a big mistake,” Biden said at the time. “Look, I hope everybody’s realized by now, these masks make a difference. We are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this disease because of the way in which we’re able to get vaccines in people’s arms.”
Abbott shared Texas’s numbers as proof the pandemic is over.
Today Texas reported:
* 0 Covid related deaths–the only time that’s happened since data was tracked in March, 2020.
* the fewest Covid cases in over 13 months
* the lowest 7-day Covid positivity rate ever
* the lowest Covid hospitalizations in 11 months.
Thanks, Texans!
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 17, 2021
