President Biden Announces New COVID Vaccine Requirements As Philadelphia Sees Improvement In Case Numbers
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- This was supposed to be the summer of freedom, but it turned into the summer of surging cases. Now the question is, will President Joe Biden's sweeping new plan be enough to control the coronavirus?
The White House is getting tough on requiring more Americans to get vaccinated.
The new measures come as the United States hit another milestone this week, topping 40 million coronavirus cases.
The surging delta variant is now killing more than 1,000 people a day.
"The vast majority of cases remain among unvaccinated people," Acting Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole said.
Bettigole, while not commenting specifically on the president's new plan, is a big proponent of finding new ways to get more people vaccinated.
"The more people who are vaccinated, for whatever reason they get vaccinated, the safer we all are," she said.
In Philadelphia, 1 million people -- nearly 82% of adults -- have had at least one dose of vaccine, and 67% are fully vaccinated.
"We're very excited about our vaccine numbers, which are among the highest in large cities. But we still have work to do," Bettigole said.
Bettigole said COVID numbers in Philadelphia have improved, crediting increased vaccinations and more people wearing masks.
With the presidents' sweeping new vaccine requirements, providers could be seeing renewed demand.
The White House continues to push for booster shots. Federal officials want boosters to be available starting the week of Sept. 20, pending approvals from the FDA and CDC.
The president's action plan also requires employers to provide paid time off for workers to be vaccinated.