CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — Nearly all living former U.S. presidents and first ladies urged Americans to receive the coronavirus vaccine in a new ad campaign released Thursday.
The former commanders-in-chief encouraged the American people to “roll up their sleeves” and do their part in this historic effort.
Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton and Rosalynn Carter were included in the video.
Absent from the video was former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump. It is not clear if Trump was not asked to join the campaign or if he declined.
“This vaccine means hope,” Obama said in the video. “It will protect you and those you love from this dangerous and deadly disease.”
“As the country moves toward recovery and renewal, we look forward to seeing our families, friends, and even a baseball game,” Bush said. “We hope everyone joins us in getting a vaccine when it’s available to them.”
The ad campaign release marks one year since the World Health Organization declared coronavirus a global pandemic. It also comes one day after President Joe Biden announced the U.S. will procure an additional 100 million doses of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine.
About 9.9% of the U.S. population, or nearly 33 million people, have been fully inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer Inc/ BioNTech SE, Moderna Inc and Johnson & Johnson, according to CDC data. More than 18% of the U.S. population or 62 million adults had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
There have been more than 29 million confirmed cases in the United States and nearly 530,000 Americans have died from the virus, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.