The Democratic governor in the state of Colorado has some advice for President Joe Biden. Governor Jared Polis talked with NBC News host Chuck Todd recently and said the president needed to change the way that he talked about vaccines. Polis believes that the country needs to change the way that they define what it means to be “fully vaccinated.”
Polis believes that it is inevitable that the definition will need to change in the near future. The governor declared the importance of our mayors, local influencers, and community leaders to start with the facts instead of fear. He said that people do not react well to an environment of fear and that we should be basing our conversation on these issues on science-driven information.
Polis believes that the message should be centered around keeping people safe with the individual freedom combined with local control that is necessary and what our citizens deserve. He said that we know how to stop this pandemic and it is getting three doses of the vaccine. He said that is what negates the risk that people face.
Chuck Todd asked the governor if there is going to be a change in the definition of being fully vaccinated in the state of Colorado. He said that is exactly where the state is headed.
Polis claimed, “It looks like from everything that we know that to significantly reduce the risk of the Omicron variant, three doses of the vaccine are needed. It’s three doses of that vaccine to be effective. So, I wish they’d stop talking about it as a booster. It really is a three-dose vaccine and every piece of data that we’re seeing shows that that’s the case.”
Todd asked Polis what he would say to President Biden if the president asked him for advice. The governor said that he would tell the president to stop talking about the vaccine as a booster. Biden should just talk about a three-dose vaccine as what is needed for effective protection from COVID-19 and all of its variants.
Polis said that in Colorado, the people who have received three doses are 47 times less likely to die from the effects of COVID-19 than unvaccinated people. He also said that his state’s numbers are similar to the national data. Polis flat out said that the three doses negate the risk and that people could go about and feel very confident that if they get COVID, they would have a minor case.
The governor said what we should be focusing on in the country is the cost increase people are facing. He described that people are frustrated that their Turkey is costing 50% more than last year and that gasoline is $3.80 a gallon. We should be focused on how to get people relief, so his state is cutting vehicle registration fees. Colorado is making it free to start a business, and they have tried to cut taxes twice. They are trying to help families in their state not only survive but thrive.
Chuck Todd also brought up climate change with the governor. But as the interview ended, Todd said that it seemed as if Polis had to choose a priority, he would likely choose the economy over climate provisions. The governor said that the issues were not mutually exclusive but that our climate destiny is our economic destiny. Polis got right back, before the conversation ended, to saving families money on things like child-care and preschool. He is looking for more ways to reduce costs so that people can save money.
The governor closed the interview with the idea that his state would welcome any help possible from the United States Congress.