Biden administration’s unshakable focus on vaccinations is working

The United States crossed a major hurdle this past week with the news that 200 million Americans have received at least their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. Fueling that strong number is the fact that nearly 7 million Americans were vaccinated in the last two weeks which, according to the Biden Administration, was the highest two-week total since the beginning of June.

Americans are rightly focused right now on the tragic situation coming out of Afghanistan, especially as we head towards the Aug. 31 deadline at the end of this month, but how this administration ends the current war on the coronavirus will ultimately be the true assessment made by voters in the midterms and beyond.

The past few weeks have seen a strong turnaround when it comes to getting unvaccinated Americans to roll up their sleeves. The White House should receive a great deal of credit for its laser-like focus on reaching, engaging, and encouraging the vaccine hesitant population in this country to do their part. In remarks from the East Room this past week, President Biden was focused on the unvaccinated, “There are people who are dying and who will die who didn’t have to. So, please, if you haven’t gotten vaccinated, do it now. Do it now. It could save your life, and it could save the lives of those you love. You know, and the good news is that more people are getting vaccinated. Overall, weekly new vaccinations are up more than 80 percent from where they were a month ago.”

According to the latest polling from Morning Consult, last week saw the first decline in vaccine hesitancy in over a month, with just 19 percent now saying they are “unwilling” to get the vaccine and another 10 percent who are “uncertain.” According to that same survey, “the share of vaccine skeptics in the U.S. dropped 2 percentage points from 29 percent to 27 percent, the largest drop during a week that the U.S. has seen since mid-May.” While 2 percentage points might seem insignificant, it represents more than 4 million unvaccinated Americans who are eligible for the vaccine who are now more likely to get the shot and are fueling these strong numbers.

Over the past few months, the Biden administration has also made a concerted effort to reach younger Americans, attempting to overcome their “invincibility” mentality. According to the Morning Consult vaccine tracker, young adults are bringing down the vaccination rate in nearly every country, including the United States, with just about half of 18 to 34 year-olds having received at least one dosage. While vaccine hesitation remains stubbornly high among this key demographic, according to that same tracker, “since mid-June, the share of vaccinated 18 to 34 year-olds has ticked up by 5 percentage points from 40 percent to 45 percent, more than double the increase among all adults.”

In the same COVID-19 briefing led by administration officials last week, it was also noted that over the past month, “there has been a 75 percent increase in the average daily number of 12 to 15 year-olds getting vaccinated.” Sadly, this rise in vaccinations mirrors an increase in cases and hospitalizations, due in large degree to the Delta variant, especially among young people and adolescents, with the case rate among that population growing nearly five-fold over the summer.

While some in conservative media circles have critiqued recent attempts by the administration to utilize creative ways to reach these audiences, clearly this concerted effort is having some effect. Additionally, the president and his team have continued to focus the administration’s efforts on addressing the growing rise of the Delta variant, ravaging so many communities across the country. We know from the data that it isn’t just young adults who are afflicted by the variant, but all segments of the population, with the common denominator being an individual’s vaccination status.

The president campaigned on ending the pandemic and “building back better,” which more than any other issue delivered a decisive victory last November for the Biden-Harris ticket.

As developments unfold in Afghanistan, it’s important to remember that on the home front, the president right now is winning the battle to get the unvaccinated to roll up their sleeves, which in the end will save us all.

Kevin Walling (@kevinpwalling) is a Democratic campaign strategist, Truman National Security Project partner, vice president at HGCreative, co-founder of Celtic Strategies, and a regular guest on Fox News, Fox Business and Bloomberg TV and Radio.