Olivia Rodrigo joins the federal government’s efforts to encourage young and unvaccinated to get their jabs, according to The New York Times.
On Wednesday, the 18-year-old pop visited the White House and joined the Biden administration’s vaccination efforts, encouraging young people to get vaccinated.
During a short appearance in the White House briefing room, Rodrigo said, “It’s important to have conversations with friends and family members and actually get to a vaccination site, which you can do more easily than ever before.”
The Good 4 U singer has millions of followers on social media. She is part of a growing list of celebrities and influencers who are interested in working with the government to deliver a pro-vaccine message.
The White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “Not every 18-year-old uses their time to come do this.”
In recent weeks, the White House has recruited YouTuber, social media influencers, and celebrities who can deliver the message of getting vaccinated through their own channels.
In young people who are under the age of 27, the vaccination rate is relatively low, according to the White House. And they were part of the reason the administration fell short of Biden’s goal of partly vaccinating 70% of adults by July 4.
The New York Times says younger people became eligible for immunization later in the vaccine rollout, after other high-priority risk groups, and children aged 12 to 15 became eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine only in mid-May.
Overall, officials were administering about 0.55 million doses per day, as of Wednesday.
The federal officials have still been facing significant challenges in convincing reluctant Americans, particularly in states where officials say they face pressure from anti-vaxxers.
After Rodrigo left the podium, Psaki was asked about Dr. Michelle Fiscus’ leaving her job after distributing a memo that suggested that some teenagers might be eligible for vaccinations without their parents’ consent.
Dr. Fiscus is a pediatrician and Tennessee’s top vaccination official.
Psaki said, “We continue to see young people hit by the virus and we’ve been crystal clear that we stand against any effort that would politicize our country’s pandemic response and recovery from COVID-19.” The story was first published in The New York Times.
