President Joe Biden on Thursday asked states and local government to use funds from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan to offer $100 payments to unvaccinated Americans for them to get the coronavirus vaccine.

“I know that paying people to get vaccinated might sound unfair to folks that have gotten vaccinated already but here’s the deal: if incentives help us beat this virus, I believe we should use them,” Biden said during an address from the White House. “We all benefit if we can get more people vaccinated.”

The move comes amid growing concerns about the fast-spreading Delta variant.

The Treasury Department issued a statement Thursday that echoed Biden's comments.

“Today, the President is calling on state, territorial, and local governments to provide $100 payments for every newly vaccinated American, as an incentive to boost vaccination rates, protect communities, and save lives,” the statement read.

About 57.1% of Americans have been fully vaccinated. At least 75% of the public must be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.

“For these governments and the communities they represent, no task is more urgent than turning the tide of the pandemic, and there is no better tool than vaccination,” the Treasury Department said. “This is why Treasury is encouraging state, territorial, and local governments to use the funds to enhance their vaccination efforts, including by providing individual vaccine incentives,” the Department added.

The new incentives provide an alternative to vaccine mandates, an idea floated to prevent the spread of the Delta variant. According to the CDC, 99% of deaths from coronavirus in 2021 are unvaccinated people.

Many governors have required state employees to get vaccinated, while Biden has done the same with federal employees.

Some local and state governments have already provided their own $100 incentives for vaccinating their citizens.

Colorado is giving out $100 Walmart gift cards and other states are giving college scholarships to students between the ages of 12 and 17. New York City and Columbus, Ohio, are also giving out $100 payments to get residents vaccinated.

Coronavirus