Jill Biden calls on unvaccinated in Hawaii to get shots

First lady Jill Biden visited a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Waipahu, Hawaii, on Sunday to encourage unvaccinated Hawaiians to get their shots as the delta variant surges through much of the U.S.

Biden in remarks at the clinic at Waipahu High School said the virus has become “more contagious than ever” and urged the unvaccinated to “help us move past this virus once and for all.”

“I’m here to ask everyone listening right now, to choose to get vaccinated,” Biden said.

Nearly 60% of the state's population is fully vaccinated. State officials are scrambling to get more Hawaiians vaccinated as the infection rate climbs. Hawaii's seven-day daily average for new cases climbed 192% from July 10 to Friday, according to the state health department.

Later Sunday, Biden joined military families for a barbeque at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu.

She was visiting Hawaii on her way back to Washington from leading a U.S. delegation to the Olympic Games in Tokyo.