President Biden plans to make a stronger push for more Americans to get vaccinated as concerns mount for the highly contagious delta variant.

The U.S. is on pace to vaccinate 160 million Americans by the end of the week but the Biden administration insists there is more work to be done after failing to reach their Independence Day goal of having 70% of the country vaccinated.

One of Biden’s top goals is to get the vaccine administered to more minors between the ages of 12 and 18 before the school year starts. He also aims to expand mobile clinics and door-to-door outreach programs to get as many people vaccinated as possible.

“We all know powerful variants have emerged, like the Delta Variant, but the best defense against these variants is to get vaccinated. It’s the most patriotic thing you can do. So please, if you haven’t gotten vaccinated, do it,” Biden said Sunday at the White House.

“Our focus now is doubling down on our efforts to get more people vaccinated. There is still more work to be done, the vast majority of people are safe from this virus once they are vaccinated,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki in a Tuesday briefing.

Reuters reports that the delta variant is easier to spread than older strains of the coronavirus and has the potential to cause greater disease, especially amongst young people. According to U.S. health officials, the delta variant has been found in every state and makes up 25% of all cases.

Coronavirus