Biden administration wants state, local governments to offer $100 to each vaccine recipient

The Biden administration on Thursday called on state and local governments to give $100 each to residents who get vaccinated for COVID-19.

The announcement was made through the Treasury Department and said the governments should pay for the initiative with money they received from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan – as case numbers across the country increase and health-safety measures such as mask wearing is being required in such places as Los Angeles County and Washington, D.C.

The payments would be offered to newly vaccinated Americans to provide "an extra incentive to boost vaccination rates, protect communities, and save lives," said the Treasury Department, according to The Hill newspaper.

The $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief law, which Biden signed in March, included $350 billion in funding to assist state, territorial and local governments in battling the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Treasury Department clarified in May that governments that receive funds could use them for vaccine incentive programs, The Hill also reports.

Nearly 70% of U.S. adults have received at least one vaccine shot, but vaccination rates have flattened in recent weeks as the virus' high-contractable delta variant spreads throughout the country.