Vice Presidential Pool Reports of April 1, 2021

VP Pool report #1

Good morning from the White House, I’ll be your print pooler for Vice President Kamala Harris’ virtual meeting with stakeholders to discuss COVID-19 public education efforts. This event will take place in the South Court Auditorium.

Feel free to send any questions to your pooler.

VP Pool Report #2 - background on meeting + VP's portfolio

From White House officials:

The founding members of the COVID-19 Community Corps will be in attendance to discuss Health and Human Services’s COVID-19 public education campaign with Vice President Harris.

Alongside the President, the Vice President has been a leader on educating the public to get vaccinated. She received her first Moderna vaccine at the United Medical Center, located in an underserved neighborhood in Washington, D.C., and her second shot at the National Institutes of Health to demonstrate that people should trust the science and the public health experts. She’s been taking her message that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and save lives to pharmacies and vaccination sites across the country, the NBA All Star game, awards shows, social media, radio interviews, television interviews, and beyond.

In addition to her work on small businesses, working to pass the American Rescue Plan, leading diplomatic efforts for the administration with Mexico and the Northern Triangle nations and highlighting the American Jobs Plan, the Vice President looks forward to championing the next phase of this effort from and for the White House.

VP Pool Report #3 - event begins + comments from Surgeon General and VP

Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General opened the event with remarks and introduced the Bice President.

Vice President Harris called the surgeon general "tireless" in his efforts to combat COVID-19.

The Vice President highlighted faith leaders, union leaders and business leaders were in attendance and part of the founding members coalition.

A "Share the Mic" program was mentioned as an option for members to host a Q&A session with a doctor or nurse on the member's social media platforms.

"The vaccine is safe and it will save lives," is one point Vice President Harris emphasis in her remarks.

More tk. Please check future remarks with the official transcript.

VP Pool Report #4 - Surgeon General Remarks from the event

Please check remarks with official transcript.

Surgeon General:
Good morning everyone so much for joining us today. To serve as a surgeon, in my role, I'm charged with looking out for the health and well being of each and every American. I consider this to be as a sacred responsibility, particularly in this great moment. When we're living through a once in a century. I knew we're here because we all know that COVID-19 has caused tremendous suffering for millions of Americans, many of us have lost family members to this virus. I myself have lost seven, including my uncle Roman earlier this year. Many of us have also felt what it's like to be worried about your loved ones getting killed, especially family members of ours who are elderly, or who might work on the frontlines. And over this past year. My father and my sister went to work in their medical practice. I couldn't help but hear that this was the day that they were going to be exposed to the virus. And during the academic. People have also lost many other jobs, the chance to go to school, the possibility of holding back on the fact that this pandemic is also affected. Some people are more than others. It's also underscored that profound racial and geographic disparities in health, that have long plagued our nation. But despite the heavy toll of COVID as exactly this pandemic has also reminded us of a fundamental truth that we need each other and our happiness and our survival depends on our connection to one another, and our community. And during this past year, even as COVID separated as physically. So many people stepped up to help one another, delivering food to neighbors who were too worried to go to the grocery store, Checking in on friends who are having a hard time putting their own lives at risk, provide medical care and hospitals to get grocery stores open, and to keep our neighborhoods safe. That spirit of community is what makes our country great. And it is what we need now more than as far as we seek the brand is pandemics, and we're all here today because all of you have to greet the founding members of the COVID-19 community in nationwide grassroots network of leaders who are stepping up to protect your communities, and to get our, our goal is to help our communities get vaccinated, and by doing so to stop this spread. Now I know that we've made great progress on the vaccination front. And even though nearly 100 million Americans have already received at least one shot, there are still millions of Americans are not protected against the virus. Your leadership has the power to change them collectively you can reach out to millions of people with the facts about COVID and a COVID vaccine. And this is so important because hearing the facts from trusted sources. This will help people make good decisions about their health. And that's why I firmly believe that your involvement will stabilize. And it's why all of us are so grateful to you for being easy for you. As we begin our conversation today. And as we embark on this work together. I'm also reminded that this initiative is made possible by the hard working men in the administration, we're committed to addressing COVID With the power of science, and compassion and partnership that commitment starts at the very tough. Having champions in the White House with public health is absolutely essential. And that is why I'm so honored to introduce one of our nation's most important leaders. One who is broken barriers, and lifted up communities, a leader who is kind, and strong, and who is inspired millions of people, including myself, and a daughter who took the climb or covered it in the very first time they saw her.

VP Pool Report #5 - speakers and remarks from VP

Please check remarks with official transcript.

I just have to tell you, he has been tireless for months and months working on this issue and so in front of everyone. I want to thank you, is that for all you have been doing to lift us up as a nation, and to also lift up the importance of following the signs and the cast that we are in together. And so, lifting up the power and significance of the collective. And so, to everyone. Thank you. Good morning, I know it's very early for all of the friends on the West Coast and to all of you, thank you for for joining this first meeting this inaugural meeting of our community core, and we are truly very excited about the participation and the collaboration and coalition building potential of this group of leaders, and I'll tell you when we look at the number of vaccines that are being administered each week. They are increasing and that gives us a sense of optimism. We are breaking records all the time, our goal is, 100 million shots movie Days is now 200 million shots in 100 days, and by April 19 Nine in 10 adults in the United States will be eligible to sign up for a shot. And we want and the President was very strong. Didn't want every adult in the United States to sign up and get vaccinated, when they can and when it's their turn, because that's what we're. And that's what will make us healthy and get us through this pandemic. And so this is what we're here to discuss and again thank you all for, for taking the call to be part of this around this virtual table. We have some of the most trusted leaders in the United States. I've got a big screen here where I can see everyone. I hope you all can see each other. We can live away political action, we have community leaders we have faith leaders, we have union leaders we have business leaders, leaders, leaders, leaders, and, and we know that the people of our country, look to leaders like you and they have been looking to you, they've been looking in your eyes searching to believe that there should be a reason to have hope. They have been looking in your eyes and looking to you to give us some confidence that we can get through this and give her a sense of knowing that they are not alone this is what you have been doing over the course of this last year. And you of course are leaders that are leaders in your communities you work with people with folks on the ground, and have a history.

And when people are then making a decision to get vaccinated. They're going to look to you. They're going to look to you to help answer the questions that they may not that may what's in the vaccine and may also include how do I sign up. How do I get there, the transportation piece. And so that's why today as part of our broader public education campaign. We are launching our COVID-19 community core. And so everyone as the Surgeon General has said everyone gathered here is a founding member, and I thank you on behalf of myself and President Biden, stepping up.

This is a really important moment. And we have a great opportunity, at this moment as we all know each day is not equal. We are at a stage where with the increasing number of supply of vaccinations. We are at a face. At this moment, where we can actually get a hold of this thing, and advance.

Protecting our neighbors. And so as members, you will have access to the latest information and posted resources that you can then share with those who serve and we will work with you to get created and we want your ideas about how we can be most creative to be most effective. Through our share them like program for instance, we can set up a q&a a question and answer with a doctor or a nurse on your platforms. This work, couldn't be more important than ask me know our public health professionals are some of the most trusted in terms of a source of information about what is in the vaccine and how it works.

But here's the other truth that we must speak in some communities, some of our hardest hit communities. It's too hard to access the vaccine, or give information about it. and we have to be honest about that we've certainly, we have to be honest that in some communities there was a concern about your the vaccinated. Some based on mistrust, based on history. Some based on just rooted in the misinformation, of which there's a lot out there, and we need your help to combat that.

And simply, these are the these are some of the concerns that people have, and these are, these are fair concerns which we must address.

But no matter the community, trusted leaders are the best way to produce competence and trusted leaders, you are the best way to deliver information, you know, yesterday I actually convened a group of faith leaders from around the country, and they were very clear, they said look, sometimes people just need basic information, you know, I mean you're asking people to take a shot in the arm, they need, they need to know what's going on. They need to know things like what's in the vaccine, how does it work.

And they need to hear from the people they trust, and again that is you. And so that's why we are investing the bulk of our time and resources in this group of leaders and you.

Who are the trusted Leaders of America. Last week we announced that we're investing nearly $10 billion in grants to community organizations to help centers, and local governments to help build confidence and increase access to the vaccine. And with our community core. We will empower more leaders with more information to reach more people. So you kind of get the theme here, we need to do more. And we need your help to do it, whether you run a face to face organization that's going door to door to schedule appointments and so many of you've been doing, or food assistance program that's making sure that folks have transportation to vaccination sites or community health centers, doing the beautiful culturally competent work of bilingual health outreach, speaking to people in the language they speak, Literally, and cultural and the basic message, of course we all know, is pretty straightforward. The vaccine is safe, and it will say the vaccine is safe. And it was safe.

And so the community core is about getting that message out as far and as wide as we possibly can. And you know, I've been calling our broad public education campaign. So, we can do this campaign, because I do believe I know that we can do this. And so with your help, let's do that. And I look forward to hearing from you about what you were doing, how it is going how we might help you scale your good work. And again, you know, this has been a moment of great crisis as our Surgeon General has said, weight loss, loss of life, loss, Jobs was the normal city for our children, loss of very significant basis of their educational process. And there is why we are now.

Spring guaranteed see the cherry blossoms blooming.

Around the world, regardless of your state or where you might be this is a time where we celebrate renewal and hope.

And I'm very much feeling that and I know we are collectively feeling that, but we have to couple our hopes and our faith with action, because that's the only way we will achieve all that we hope to achieve in game. And so that, again brings me back to you because you are people of action. And we are so honored to have you join us. And so now we're going to hear from several of our community core founding members. And the first is I'm introducing Dr. Reed, Texas, of the black Coalition Against COVID Dr. Thompson.

Vice President Harris spoke with Dr. Reed Tuckson of the Black Coalition Against COVID; Neil Bradley, Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Mary Kay Henry, SEUI President; Zippy Duval, American Farm Bureau Federation President; and Hyepin I’m, Faith and Community Empowerment President/CEO & Founder.

She offered the following remarks based on topic in response to the speakers listed above.

Black vaccine information:

what is what is also clear to me about this moment of crisis, is that there is the opportunity to reintroduce and remind folks of what is available to them in their community, by way of public health assistance and healthcare. And we should think about this that way, because it is about first and immediately and like you said, April is a critical month, so it is immediately about the vaccines, but it can also be a conversation that reminds folks of what is available to them in their community health centers in their in their community based organizations to get them access to health care for all of the other needs that they have and so that's where I see a great opportunity again, this is a moment where this crisis gives me hope that we can potentially leapfrog over the COVID issue into a place where we also accelerate, giving people access to the overall health care they need. And in many ways I think that this pandemic has been an accelerator for those for whom things were bad before they even worse now. But if we can see it as also an opportunity to accelerate into a better place than we were even before. Our work will be worth it. I think it's the, it's the leap frogging concept it's also building the bridge, you're creating is. It's funny because this is what you and the President are doing with building an infrastructure. That's right, and that if we build it right, and we build it with an eye to the future, then we lose what we built in the pandemic.

Paid sick leave:

to all of those business leaders who have stepped up to a particular offer paid sick leave, so that their employees on the back end because we don't want our workforce to have to choose between earning the money that they need to pay their kids when and getting a vaccine. So, thank you and please pass on our thanks to your members.

Essential workers:

Thank you to your members, those essential workers who from the beginning of this pandemic were going to work off of taking public transportation. Without the equipment that they needed to be, to be sure that they could be safe but out of their commitment to caring for strangers often. They kept going to work, exposing themselves and their family to harm but their commitment to the health and well being of our country, it has been extraordinary. And so please, on behalf of all of us.

Food insecurity:

There's been so much food and security around our country and our American farmers have been stepping up in extraordinary ways you know to the extent that I've been able to travel in the midst of COVID I've been so many distribution centers, and what our American farmers have been doing. Just, just, not only great just about being out there and continuing to, to grow the food supply in our country, but what they've been doing in terms of the donations they've been making has really been extraordinary because while they are trying to make it through the month, they've been so generous, and I'll just take a moment of privilege to also just share with everyone. I went to one food distribution center. And the folks who were working there told me that you know, people will line up in their cars for hours, waiting to get to the point where they can receive the donation, and what they were finding the volunteers were finding is this a car would pull up and then because of COVID there's no physical interaction between the volunteer and the occupant of the car, but the occupant of the car, they'll pop up in their trunk and the volunteers were finding often, that when the trunk open, there'll be a piece of paper there with him arriving with the occupants of the car, wrote notes to the volunteers to thank them from time to time, the trunk will pop open. And there might be a new, and a $5 bill, the occupants of the car, who are in a food line stretched to the limits, but still want to give back something. And at the very least, honor the dignity of the work of the volunteers and the end farmers and everyone who has contributed to that. There's so much about this pandemic and the crisis that has also shown. The grace, you know and and and what, what, the beauty of the strength of human beings and, and what I believe is our fundamental nature to be kind, and to be thankful and to be a community. So thank you and gives me thank you for any new members from.

Anti-Asian Hate:

rience that far too many of our Asian brothers and sisters have been having, you know, we sort of the beginning of this conversation Dr Tuckson has a campaign saying, make it plain. That means also in my opinion a minute real and speaking truth. Yeah, and I appreciate you making that point and I think we all know as a collective as a coalition, as a community and as a country we all need to speak out against the hate where we are seeing it and we need to remind our fellow human beings that they are not alone and we will stand together, wherever and whenever we see that kind of hate being expressed.

Racial Inequalities:

It is very important to the President, that we speak truth and address racial inequities. Across the board, but on this topic, in particular in our healthcare system and again these disparities existed long before when we look at the rates of the infection and death agents in the next American Latinos lives, our native community. the numbers are really unacceptable and tragic and in terms of the impact on these communities, of course, profound, and so this is something we have been addressing that we have a racial equity task force that is very much a part of our whole approach to this. And in addition, you will often hear the president, and all of us talk about the importance of equitable distribution of resources and support.

Handing off pool duty.

VP Pool Report #6 Correction to remark on Anti-Asian Hate

Should read as: The experience** that far too many of our Asian brothers and sisters have been having...

Thank you. Passing off pool duty.