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First Lady Jill Biden Calls on Unvaccinated in Hawaiʻi: 'Help Us Move Past This Virus'

First lady Jill Biden tours a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at a high school in Waipahu, Hawaii, Sunday, July 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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AP
First lady Jill Biden tours a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at a high school in Waipahu, Hawaii, Sunday, July 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

First lady Jill Biden visited a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Waipahu, Hawaiʻi, on Sunday to encourage unvaccinated residents to get their shots as the delta variant surges through much of the U.S.

Biden in remarks at the clinic at Waipahu High School said the virus has become “more contagious than ever” and urged the unvaccinated to “help us move past this virus once and for all.”

“I’m here to ask everyone listening right now, to choose to get vaccinated,” Biden said.

Hawaiʻi Gov. David Ige, center, his wife Dawn Amano-Ige, left, and first lady Jill Biden, right, tour a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at a high school in Waipahu, Hawaii, Sunday, July 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb Jones/AP
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AP
Hawaiʻi Gov. David Ige, center, his wife Dawn Amano-Ige, left, and first lady Jill Biden, right, tour a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at a high school in Waipahu, Hawaii, Sunday, July 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

Nearly 60% of the state's population is fully vaccinated.

"To those who already have been vaccinated: Help us spread the word. Talk to the people in your life about why this is important," Biden said.

State officials are scrambling to get more residents vaccinated as the infection rate climbs. Hawaiʻi's seven-day daily average for new cases climbed 192% from July 10 to Friday, July 23, according to the state health department.

Speaking to teachers and educators in Waipahu, she said, "I just want to say thank you for all that you did last year. It was difficult. There were times you probably wondered if you were going to make it through all the chaos. But you did what educators do best: you made something out of nothing."

Later Sunday, Biden joined military families for a barbeque at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu.

"Military families sacrifice for all of us and you are as crucial to our military readiness as a rudder to a ship. That’s why supporting your physical, social, and emotional health is a national security imperative," she told attendees.

She was visiting Hawaiʻi on her way back to Washington from leading a U.S. delegation to the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

"It’s inspiring to see so many nations come together, even in this difficult time," she said. "It’s impossible not to feel enormous pride for the United States when we marvel at Simone Biles, flying through the air, or Sue Bird, commanding the court."

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers.
Sophia McCullough is a digital news producer. Contact her at news@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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