First lady Jill Biden visits Harlem church as White House ramps up vaccination effort

First lady Jill Biden visited a vaccination clinic at a prominent Black church in Harlem Sunday as the White House ramps up efforts to reach its goal of getting 70% of U.S. adults inoculated with at least one shot by July 4.

Biden was joined at the Abyssinian Baptist Church by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease specialist and a White House adviser. About 30 Pfizer-BioNTech shots were administered there in a two-hour period Sunday, according to church staff.

"We want everyone 12 and older to come get vaccinated," Biden said. "We are really working hard because we have to get back to life as normal."

Biden’s Harlem visit is part of a "We Can Do This" tour where the first lady, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff travel to communities nationwide this month to reach Americans reluctant to roll up their sleeves.

During a brief walking tour Sunday, Biden and Fauci greeted people at the booths and those sitting in the waiting area, thanking them for their participation and posing for photos.

Fauci praised Shareif Jones, 24, of Queens, who accompanied his grandmother Annette Gausney, 92, to receive her first dose.

"Thank you for convincing your grandma to do it," Fauci told Jones before turning to address Gausney: "You’ve got a good grandson there."

Fauci also noted the historic nature of Abyssinian Baptist Church, which was founded in 1808.

"This is a historic place that I’ve known since I was a child, being a New Yorker myself," Fauci said. " … We are going to end this outbreak with absolute certainty. The vehicle in ending it is vaccination."

Biden talked of the impact that faith leaders have in convincing people to get the vaccine, saying "People in this community trust this church and trust the people in the church."

The Biden administration’s latest push comes as the vaccination pace slows nationwide, prompting the White House as well as states to roll out a flurry of incentives.

Last week, the president announced initiatives to boost participation, including offering free child care when parents get their vaccination and extending evening hours at pharmacies that administer the shots.

In New York, 66% of the residents older than 18 have received at least one dose of the vaccine and more than 58% of adults are fully vaccinated as of state data reported on Sunday morning.

Daily administered doses statewide, however, have fallen by more than 77,000 since the peak days in early May, according to a Newsday analysis.

Mirroring the statewide trend, the pace on Long Island has also dramatically slowed over the past few weeks, though it remains higher than state and national averages.

Nassau County has registered the highest vaccination rate — nearly 76% of adults receiving at least one shot — of any large New York County. Suffolk’s rate of more than 68% is slightly higher than the state's rate overall.

As Gausney sat on a chair to wait out the monitoring period, she said she was glad to meet the first lady.

"It was great to meet her. She seemed really nice," said the Queens resident. "I’m so happy I came."

But Biden was not the reason for her visit. "She needed to get it done. So this is like the perfect timing," her grandson said.

Outside the church, however, was a different scene.

A few dozen protesters chanted "Fire Fauci" at the street corner of Odell Clark Place and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard as Biden’s motorcade left the church. Some held signs that read: "We are not lab rats" and "[Expletive] your covid passports."