Biden's Covid bribe: Americans who get a booster vaccine this winter will get $20 discounts on their groceries — amid surging inflation and a sluggish rollout

  • The enticement coincides with sky high inflation ahead of Thanksgiving
  • Biden hopes the incentives will boost dismal bivalent booster vaccination rates
  • The booster campaign has strengthened with a jump in RSV, influenza cases 

The White House is offering discounts on groceries to Americans who get the new bivalent Covid booster in a desperate bid to boost uptake of the vaccine.

People who get the Omicron-specific shot at CVS, Safeway, Winn-Dixie, or Rite Aid will get up to $20 off their purchases this winter.

It comes amid a soaring inflation crisis that has driven up the price of household staples. A recent American Farm Bureau report  found Thanksgiving dinner this year will cost a whopping 20 per cent more than last year.  

The new booster incentive comes ahead of a potential spike in Covid cases and hospitalizations this winter which could put pressure on already-overstretched hospitals.

Health workers are already grappling with the worst flu outbreak in 10 years and admissions caused by the common cold virus RSV — with both surges blamed on lockdowns suppressing people's immunity to seasonal bugs.

The Covid bivalent rollout has been sluggish so far with just over 11 per cent of eligible Americans five and over having rolled up their sleeves for the shot.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending aged five years and upwards gets the bivalent booster. 

This contrasts with Denmark and Norway which are no longer offering jabs to non-seniors, while Sweden has said only those over 18 years old should get the shots.

The White House is offering Americans $20 discounts on their groceries for getting the bivalent booster, as uptake languishes. President Joe Biden (pictured above getting his fifth Covid shot, the bivalent booster, last month) urged Americans to 'get the shot'

The White House is offering Americans $20 discounts on their groceries for getting the bivalent booster, as uptake languishes. President Joe Biden (pictured above getting his fifth Covid shot, the bivalent booster, last month) urged Americans to 'get the shot'

Uptake of the bivalent booster has been sluggish in the US, with just one in ten of those eligible coming forward. Everyone over five years old can get the jab

Uptake of the bivalent booster has been sluggish in the US, with just one in ten of those eligible coming forward. Everyone over five years old can get the jab

Annual inflation in the US remained stubbornly high at 7.7 percent last month, but dipped for the fourth straight month

Annual inflation in the US remained stubbornly high at 7.7 percent last month, but dipped for the fourth straight month

The map above shows uptake by state across the US. None have seen uptake above 25 per cent to date, although the administration hopes the offers will boost the roll out

The map above shows uptake by state across the US. None have seen uptake above 25 per cent to date, although the administration hopes the offers will boost the roll out

White House discounts for Covid booster recipients 

Albertson's pharmacies: 10 per cent off groceries (up to $20 off) for people who get their COVID-19 shot in-store. 

CVS: $5 off any purchase of $20 either in-store or online.

Rite Aid:  $5 off their $25 purchase for those who receive a COVID-19 booster. 

Southeastern Grocers: $20 in free groceries when a customer gets their updated COVID-19 vaccine and flu shot.

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The groceries discounts were revealed in a White House announcement on October 25.

The Administration has partnered with Albertson's - which owns over 2,000 stores across America including Safeway - as well as Acme and Kings Food Markets.

People who go into an Albertson's-owned pharmacy can get 10 per cent off groceries - up to $20 off - if they get their Covid vaccine in-store. 

Those who go to CVS for their bivalent shot can receive $5 off any purchase of $20 or more, while Rite Aid will give the same discount for purchases of $25 or more.

Southeastern Grocers, owner of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, are offering shoppers $20 in free groceries when they get their updated Covid shot as well as a flu shot.  

President Biden urged Americans to take advantage of the deals ahead of holiday festivities: 'Get the shot. Get 5, 10, 20 dollars off at your drugstore or grocery purchase at the time you get the shot.

'Some are making it easy for you just to walk in and get your vaccine right away, including on nights and weekends.' 

The new White House incentive program comes on the heels of the administration's announcement that it would stop paying for Covid vaccines this fall. Federal funding for Covid treatment and vaccine puchases is dwindling and Congress has proven unwilling to allocate more.  

The administration announced in August that it would begin transitioning out of the acute emergency phase, a move that will shift more control over pricing and coverage to the healthcare industry and big pharma. 

New bivalent Covid vaccines DON'T give people better immunity, studies show 

The new bivalent Covid vaccines are no more effective than the original shots, according to two new studies.

Made by Moderna and Pfizer, the updated vaccines were advertised as being able to boost protection against Omicron subvariants that have become world-dominant.

The US Government spent $3.4billion in taxpayer money for 105million doses of the shots to help protect against the mild but highly transmissible strains this winter.  Britain has purchased at least 26million doses for an undisclosed fee.

But research by Harvard and Columbia University found 'essentially no difference' between the immunity gained from the old or new shots.

In both studies, people who had already been triple vaccinated were given either a standard Covid shot or an updated bivalent booster.

Blood samples were taken three to five weeks later and analyzed for antibodies and T-cells — immune molecules that fight off the virus. 

Dr David Ho, a microbiologist at Columbia University who led one of the studies, said: 'We see essentially no difference [between the shots].

'We can't say that a few months from now there won't be any difference... [but] at least at this time point, there's no discernible benefit.'

Uptake of the bivalent shots is sluggish in the US with less than 19.5million out of the 225million people who are eligible having come forward.

President Joe Biden got his updated booster yesterday — his fifth shot to date — in the latest White House effort to boost the numbers getting inoculated. 

 

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Currently, the Biden administration reimburses providers of vaccines $40 to college, store, and administer them. They don't cost patients anything out of pocket. 

But pretty soon, anyone who wants a Covid shot or needs a treatment will have to get it from a hospital or their healthcare providers who get paid by the insurance company. 

Dr Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator said: 'My hope is that in 2023, you’re going to see the commercialization of almost all of these products... Some of that is actually going to begin this fall, in the days and weeks ahead.'

Pfizer has already previewed plans to triple the price of its shot to $130 per dose, a 10,000 per cent markup from the price of manufacturing the shots, $1.18. 

This is the first time that the Biden administration have dangled discounts as a carrot in order to boost vaccination rates, though the President has in the past urged states to enact incentives like these. Many of them did. 

California, for instance, instituted the You Call the Shot California program which gave out $50 gift cards to people who got their shots. 

In Arkansas, people who got a Covid shot were eligible to receive a $20 Game and Fish certificate for state fishing/hunting licenses. And in New York City, a group called Joints for Jabs gave out joints in Union Square Park to adults who had an official vaccine card. 

In June last year, the White House dubbed the “Month of Action” aimed at boosting incentives for people to get the shots.  

In September, the US was recording an 8.2 per cent year-over-year inflation rate. In June, the inflation rate reached a record high 9.1 per cent. 

Inflation cooled in October. It slowed to a 7.7 per cent gain in the year through October, less than the 7.9 per cent that analysts had expected and down from the year-over-year rate in September.

The cost of everyday essentials has risen due to inflation. For instance, the average price for a gallon of milk was $4.18 in October compared to $3.55 in 2021 versus $3.32 in 2020. 

The average price for one dozen eggs was $3.42 in October compared to $1.67 in 2021 from $1.51 in 2020.

Meanwhile, enthusiasm for the newest generation of Covid booster shots is low, a troubling sight for public health officials who have predicted a surge in cases as temperatures continue to drop.

The CDC reports that fewer than 36 million Americans aged five and up have received the shot so far - about 11 per cent.

It is the first vaccine tailored for the Omicron variant, as previous shots were developed to combat to original Wuhan strain. 

Health officials were hoping to roll out the vaccine en masse this fall in hopes that it could prevent another winter surge of the virus.

President Biden received the bivalent booster last month when the White House unveiled its rash of new incentives to get shots in arms. 

'We're here with a simple message: get vaccinated. Update your COVID vaccine. It's incredibly effective, but the truth is not enough people are getting it. We've got to change that so we can all have a safe and healthy holiday season,' President Biden said. 

Covid cases have remained low despite little demand for the additional shots, though. America is averaging 40,000 daily cases and 300 deaths each day from the virus.

Data published last week from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the cities where inflation is hitting the hardest

Data published last week from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the cities where inflation is hitting the hardest

According to Redfin, the average price of a home in Phoenix was up nine percent in September compared against the same time last year

According to Redfin, the average price of a home in Phoenix was up nine percent in September compared against the same time last year

About 40,000 Covid cases are currently being recorded in the US every day, as figures plateau

About 40,000 Covid cases are currently being recorded in the US every day, as figures plateau

Some 300 deaths from the virus are also being recorded daily, a plateau since the summer

Some 300 deaths from the virus are also being recorded daily, a plateau since the summer

The above graph shows Covid hospitalizations. After a slight uptick amid the arrival of the flu season, they are now plateauing again at 3,300 admissions a day on average. They dipped to 1,500 a day last March in the wake of the Omicron wave

The above graph shows Covid hospitalizations. After a slight uptick amid the arrival of the flu season, they are now plateauing again at 3,300 admissions a day on average. They dipped to 1,500 a day last March in the wake of the Omicron wave

Enthusiasm for the bivalent vaccine has proven lackluster at best. Roughly 89 per cent of Americans eligible for the shot have yet to get one. The slim uptake of the new jab is a far cry from the eagerness with which Americans got vaccinated in early 2021.

Enthusiasm for the bivalent vaccine has proven lackluster at best. Roughly 89 per cent of Americans eligible for the shot have yet to get one. The slim uptake of the new jab is a far cry from the eagerness with which Americans got vaccinated in early 2021. 

The anemic response to the bivalent booster - called that because it targets both new versions of omicron as well as the original strain - is another sign that the public is growing increasingly fatigued with pandemic protocol and vaccinations. 

Keeping up to date with vaccinations is key to propping up the immune system as the protection from a previous infection or shot wanes over time. 

Every American five and older who have already received their first series of shots are entitled to a bivalent booster, provided their last shot was at least two months ago. 

The US is currently contending with a respiratory infection triple threat. Covid-19 is still circulating, alongside the seasonal flu and respiratory syncitial virus (RSV), a common respiratory virus that is typically mild in children and looks like the common cold. 

Hospitals across the US are straining to keep up with a deluge of seniors and infants contracting RSV. This comes as flu levels are higher than normal after two years of lockdown, which kept it suppressed. 

'As a country, we have a choice to make,' President Biden said at the White House last month. 

'Can we repeat what happened in the past winters — more infections, more hospitalizations, more loved ones getting sick, even dying from the virus? Or can we have a much better winter if we use all — all — the tools we have available to us now?'

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