Biden to ask Congress for new COVID vaccine funding, wants everyone to get the shot

President Joe Biden says he plans to ask Congress for additional funding to develop a new COVID-19 vaccine, which he says may be recommended for everyone to receive.

When asked to comment Friday about the rise in COVID-19 cases and the new virus variant, Biden said, "I signed off this morning on a proposal we have to present to the Congress a request for additional funding for a new vaccine that is ne- — necessary — that works," according to the official White House transcript.

"Tentatively, it is recommended that — it will likely be recommended that everybody get it no matter whether they’ve gotten it before or not," he also said. 

COVID-related hospital admissions have risen 21.6% from Aug. 6-12 compared to the previous week, according to the latest data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The White House's $40 billion funding request to Congress earlier this month did not include COVID-19, but it did ask for money for Ukraine, federal disaster funds and the southern border, according to The Associated Press.

The rise in COVID-related hospitalizations, which hit more than 12,600 during the week ending Aug. 12, is still far below the January 2022 high of more than 150,000 new hospitalizations. 

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