Former President Obama is going on TikTok to urge young Americans to “get the vaccine as soon as you can.”
“It’s the only way we’re gonna get back to all the things we love from safely spending time with grandparents to going to concerts and watching live sports,” the former president said in a TikTok for Yahoo News.
“So get the vaccine as soon as you can,” Obama added.
The pace of COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States has slowed in recent weeks, sparking worries it may take longer for the nation to reach herd immunity.
That could lead to delays in the full reopening of various features of American life and could also increase the likelihood that COVID-19 variants will find new life.
@yahoonews Obama to the youth in new PSA: Get your COVID-19 vaccine. #news #politics #obama #covid19 #vaccine #psa #health #covidvaccine #yahoonews
In the TikTok video, Obama underscored the fact that all Americans above the age of 16 years old are now eligible for the vaccine. Obama told young people to get vaccinated against the coronavirus as he and former first lady Michelle Obama did.
“Now that every American over the age of 16 is eligible to get the vaccine, I want to talk about you getting yours. The vaccine is safe, it’s effective, it’s free. I got one, Michelle got one, people you know got one and now you can get one too,” Obama stated.
TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms for young people. Because people under 25 are less likely to be hospitalized by COVID-19, there have been fears that young people might be less likely to get vaccinated.
Michelle Obama appeared in an ad on Spotify emphasizing that she and her husband got the vaccine and that it is safe and effective.