Harris discussed the Biden administration’s change in strategy for inoculating people, which largely included steering people in the direction of setting up smaller, more localized vaccination sites, standing up mobile vaccine clinics, distributing vaccines to pediatricians, and primary care physicians, and also going door-to-door to “bring the vaccine directly to the people.” She acknowledged that making vaccines increasingly available will help to reignite the nation’s economy.
In Michigan, to date, 62.4% of residents 16 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to Michigan.gov’s COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard and her administrations aim is to increase that number.
“Getting vaccinated is safe. Getting vaccinated is the single best defense against COVID-19 and its variants,” she said. She went on to discuss the seriousness of the Delta variant as she said, “This Delta variant is no joke. Detroit, this Delta variant it spreads faster, and it is in many cases reported to be much more serious in terms of its impact, and the vaccine will protect you from it. Virtually every person who is in the hospital right now sick with COVID-19 right now is unvaccinated. It’s a fact” she quipped at a murmuring crowd.
Harris ended her speech the same way she started: with resilience. “Detroit, you know better than most: Resilience is not automatic. Not everybody has it. Resilience is made. Resilience takes determination and it takes work. And resilience requires love. So in that spirit and the spirit of resilience, let us rise up, Detroit. Let us rise up, Michigan. Let us rise up, America, and let us end this pandemic once and for all. We can do this together. I know we can.”
For more information on vaccines, visit vaccine.gov. See below for several photos of the welcome-committee speakers and the Detroit Youth Choir.
