President and First Lady Jill Biden recorded a video message thanking health professionals that will be shown before the game, according to a source familiar with the plans. A government official told CNN that the White House also hopes to use Sunday’s event to combat the vaccine’s hesitation and speak to the “unmasked” rural African-American, Latin and white communities in particular. The Super Bowl presents “an interesting opportunity to reach all three of these audiences,” said the official.
The White House is in contact with the NFL and other brands involved in the Super Bowl about ways to integrate pro-mask and pro-vaccine messages into the highly attended event, said a White House official. They declined to elaborate on the extent of the White House’s collaboration with the league or specific companies.
The Super Bowl’s weekend messaging strategy is part of a wide-ranging national campaign that the Biden administration is trying to develop to encourage responsible behavior and encourage Americans to get the Covid vaccine when it’s their turn. He consulted with behavioral economists and messaging strategists, said a government official, and continuously monitors research on the subject. Biden’s top advisers have also been brainstorming with trusted public figures – including some celebrities – who can help spread his message in the future.
This occurs as Biden’s great concern in recent days, when told by his top health advisers, revolves around questions about the speed and reach of Covid’s vaccines, the official said.
“Tell me frankly. How fast can we go? How fast can we take people?” it is how the employee described some of the most pressing questions the president asks his top Covid advisers. “How can we reach everyone – not just easy people?”
Notably, Biden took an optimistic tone in public last week when he said he hoped that the United States could deliver 1.5 million vaccines a day in a matter of weeks. His previously stated goal was to take 1 million gunshots a day during the first 100 days of his presidency. Biden also said that anyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get it this spring – a more ambitious schedule than some of his top health officials had previously projected.
At the time, his advisers insisted that the White House’s official goal was still to administer 1 million kicks a day and that Biden was simply expressing his hope that there would be “greater availability” of vaccines in the spring. A government official told CNN that the Covid de Biden team had not planned for the president to publicly share these specific aspirations.
“He expects it to go up,” said the official of the number of vaccines administered daily. “He’s pushing and waiting.”
As of Thursday, more than 35 million doses of the Covid vaccine have been administered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with about 6.9 million people having received two doses of the vaccine.
In a public interview on Wednesday, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky urged Americans to watch Sunday’s game responsibly.
“Remember – whatever team you’re rooting for and whatever your favorite commercial is, watch the Super Bowl safely, meeting just virtually or with the people you live with,” said Walensky.
The NFL, for its part, consulted public health officials in preparation for the weekend and announced a set of protocols, including mandatory wearing of a mask and social detachment to prevent Covid’s spread in this weekend’s game. It also invited about 7,500 vaccinated health professionals to the game in honor of the work in progress during the pandemic. According to the NFL, about 14,500 people will be present until general admission, and another 2,700 fans in the stadium suites.
Goodell also wrote to Biden in a letter on Thursday that all NFL teams would make their stadium available for mass vaccination by the public. The Biden administration said the development of such vaccination sites will be an important part of its effort to accelerate the pace of Covid’s vaccinations.
Joe Lockhart, a veteran of the Clinton administration who also served as a spokesman for the National Football League, said the Super Bowl was a “unique event” in American culture that offers a unique opportunity to capture an audience.
“There is nothing like it. There is nowhere else to sell your cars or educate the public,” said Lockhart. “So I think it’s a huge opportunity for the public health community to get their message out, including the White House.”
The White House has long made it clear that tackling vaccine hesitation, addressing concerns among Americans about whether Covid vaccines are safe and effective, is a top priority in combating the pandemic.
This effort became even more urgent with the virus variants first detected in the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa appearing in the United States. Biden’s health officials have emphasized in recent days that the best way to prevent the spread of the new variants is to vaccinate the American public as soon as possible.
Another challenge ahead for the Biden administration is the expected approval of a third vaccine for use in the United States by Johnson & Johnson. Trials have shown that the single dose vaccine has a lower level of effectiveness than the two already administered in the US – made by Moderna and Pfizer – and management is trying to moderate potential skepticism about the possibility of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine being worth worth taking.
“You need to be vaccinated when it is available as quickly and expeditiously as possible,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical advisor and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, this week. “You stop replicating by vaccinating widely … When the vaccine is available to you, please get vaccinated.”
Management will also need to make sure that there is enough vaccine supply to allow them to significantly increase the rate of vaccine availability – specifically, to meet the goal of fully vaccinating almost the entire US population by the end of summer or early fall. . Biden last week announced the purchase of an additional 200 million doses of the vaccine.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have received their Covid vaccines in recent weeks on camera in an effort to help combat vaccine hesitation.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a recent press conference that many celebrities offered to help speak publicly about the safety of Covid’s vaccines.
“Great. This is welcome,” said Psaki. “But what’s interesting about the data is that doctors and local staff – you know, people in the community – are the most trusted people and therefore we are really trying to empower and be able to finance local communities to be able to voices to build that trust. “
CNN’s Jeremy Diamond contributed to this report.