Speaking to reporters at the White House Thursday afternoon, Press Secretary Jen Psaki argued criticisms of the Biden administration's door-to-door Wuhan coronavirus vaccination campaign are a "disservice to the country."
"What's important for people to know...is the federal government doesn't have a database of who has been vaccinated. That is not our role. We don't maintain a database along those lines and have no plans to. We do know where there are rates of vaccination across the country and we know, as I just listed in some of the data, that there are tactics that are powerful and impactful," Psaki said. "I will say the thing that is a bit frustrating to us is that when people are critical of these tactics, it's really a disservice to the country and to the doctors, faith leaders, community leaders and others who are working to get people vaccinated. This is about saving lives and ending the pandemic."
"These are grassroots voices across the country. They are not members of the government. They are not federal government employees, they are volunteers," she continued.
Before the briefing, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra argued it is "absolutely" the government's business to know if an individual has been vaccinated.
"It is absolutely the government's business, it is taxpayers' business, if we have to continue to spend money to try and keep people from contracting COVID," he said during an interview with CNN.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra: "It is absolutely the government's business" to know who has and who has not been vaccinated. pic.twitter.com/Kukod1zIUO
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