There aren’t a whole lot of Americans left out there who want to get a COVID-19 vaccine but haven’t yet pulled the proverbial trigger. In fact, if there’s one good thing about the Biden administration, it’s that they were able to execute the second half of Donald Trump’s Operation Warp Speed with little trouble.
But now we’ve hit a natural wall of reluctancy, with nearly half the nation having simply decided that they aren’t going to get the shot. The issue is that experts are of the opinion that we’ll need nearly 70% of the nation inoculated to reach herd immunity.
That’s why New york City is taking drastic measures in an attempt to increase their vaccination rates.
Starting this Friday, New York City will pay $100 to anyone who goes to a city-run vaccination site for their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
The announcement comes just days after the mayor said all city workers would have to be vaccinated or go through strict weekly testing protocols.
It also comes amid a surge in cases in the city, driven by the explosion of the delta variant. Last Friday, the rolling average of new daily cases was 32% higher than a week prior.
Even in ultra-liberal NYC, the vaccination rate hasn’t hit the mark that experts were hoping for.
According to New York State Department of Health data, between 45% and 65% of New York City residents are fully vaccinated, depending on the borough.
The news comes as the CDC looks to encourage even the vaccinated among us to begin wearing masks again, especially in crowds or in locales designated to be high-transmission areas for the virus.
