TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Senator Mark Kelly says he’s pushing to get more COVID vaccine for Arizona---and urging more people to lose their reluctance to take it.
When time allows, Senator Kelly’s been delivering meals to mostly elderly, low income people who must stay in their homes. The Mobile Meals programsays demand is way up since the pandemic.
Kelly hopes to help lift the pandemic and all the trouble it’s caused, in part by getting more Arizonans vaccinated against COVID. He says he and Senator Kyrsten Synema have requested another 300 thousand doses--recognizing Arizona gets a lot of winter visitors who need immunization to help stop the spread.
Kelly has been vaccinated against COVID. He thinks as more people get vaccinations, with no ill effects, it will reduce the fear that has many people saying they’ll refuse to be vaccinated.
“As they see their friends, their families, their neighbors are getting through this with no issues at all. And now have, you know, pretty high level of immunity from being, you know from contracting COVID. We're getting more folks on board I'm certain of it.
Kelly is also concerned about the other impact of COVID: the way it’s killing business and jobs. He’s confident Congress will approve more assistance before extended unemployment benefits run out next month and renew the PPP--the paycheck protection program that’s helped businesses survive.
“PPP money needs to be targeted to businesses that need it, unemployment benefits need to be extended. $235 a week is not sufficient. Right, that's what the benefit here is in Arizona. We got some added federal help, we need to extend that. Direct payments, you know to folks that that are struggling, are important and then the vaccine money.”
And as the Mobile Meals delivery points out, the extra challenge of getting food to people who need it, Kelly expects Congress to pass extra assistance to people having trouble feeding their families.
