US President Joe Biden gestures as he speaks during Independence Day celebrations

on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, July 4, 2021. (Photo by
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty
Images)
(CNN)President Joe Biden on Tuesday ratcheted up pressure on some Republican
governors to do more for their constituents as the highly contagious Delta variant
rips across their states.

The remarks came as Biden said in a speech on Tuesday that the US has shared more
than 100 million vaccine doses globally, and announced a number of new steps taken
since last week to try to get more Americans vaccinated and slow the spread of
coronavirus. The new efforts included requiring that all federal employees must
attest to being vaccinated against Covid-19 or face strict protocols and
encouraging states to provide cash incentives to people to get vaccinated.
Even with those measures, Biden lamented the current state of Covid-19 in the US,
saying the Delta variant is "moving like wildfire through the unvaccinated
communities and it's heartbreaking particularly because it's preventable." The
President squarely blamed policy decisions made in states that have bans on mask
mandates, specifically pointing to Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis -- who represent the two states which now make up
about a third of the nation's new Covid-19 cases.
Biden cited Texas' rule, saying "state universities or community colleges could be
fined if it allows a teacher to ask her unvaccinated students to wear a mask."
"What are we doing?" the President asked.
"Florida and Texas account for one third of all new Covid-19 cases in the entire
country. Just two states. Look, we need leadership from everyone. If some governors
aren't willing to do the right thing to beat this pandemic, they should allow
businesses and universities who want to do the right thing to be able to do it," he
continued.
"I say to these governors: please help. If you aren't going to help, please get out
of the way of the people who are trying to do the right thing. Use your power to
save lives," the President added.
Biden later said the results of the two governors' decisions "are not good for
their constituents and it's clear to me and to most medical experts that the
decisions being made like not allowing mask mandates in school(s) and the like are
bad health policy."
The President added he believes more states and cities should institute rules like
the one recently announced in New York City, where Covid-19 vaccines will be
mandated for employees and patrons of indoor dining, fitness and entertainment
venues.
In an update about his administration's latest efforts to combat the pandemic, the
President said on Tuesday that several states that have adopted a $100 cash
incentive have "seen an uptick of 25% of daily vaccination rates." He also praised
a number of major companies, including Google and Tyson Foods, for implementing
vaccine requirements for their workers.
He celebrated the uptick in vaccinations in recent days.
But Biden emphasized that "we're going to see these cases rise in the weeks ahead
-- a largely preventable tragedy that will get worse before it gets better."
During his remarks at the White House on Tuesday, Biden also announced that the US
has shipped more than 110 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to more than 60 countries.
He said that's more vaccine donations than all other countries have donated
combined.
"Let me be clear: We have the supply for every single American. That will never
change. At the same time, it's also in our national interest to share some of our
vaccines with the world," he said.
Starting at the end of this month, the Biden administration will begin shipping 500
million Pfizer doses that the US has pledged to purchase and donate to 100 low-
income countries.
The President reiterated that there are "no strings attached" to the vaccine
donations. And while he didn't commit to additional vaccine donations, Biden said
"we have committed to over half a billion doses and we're trying to provide for
more -- and provide for the capacity of countries like India to produce the vaccine
themselves."