Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday called for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to immediately begin a $1 billion “ad blitz” to instill confidence in the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.
The CDC needs to use funding provided in the U.S. American Rescue Plan — the federal relief package President Joe Biden signed into law March 11 — as soon as possible for an ad campaign encouraging people to get vaccinated, Schumer said
While supply in New York is expected to increase to 1.65 million doses a week by the end of April, “too many people are still afraid of getting the vaccine,” which could leave doses “sitting on a shelf,” Schumer said.
“If people are afraid of taking the vaccine, it will delay our ability to beat COVID back,” said Schumer (D-NY) in a Manhattan news conference.
Schumer’s call came after a poll last month from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about one in three Americans don’t plan to get a vaccine.
That reticence could become a huge roadblock to recovery, especially after the first documented case of a Brazilian variant was found in New York, Schumer said.
The CDC campaign could include public service announcements, traditional ads, door-knocking and other outreach to ensure people know that the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are safe, he said.
