Obama, Bush, Clinton, Carter push COVID-19 vaccination

Former U.S. presidents rolled up their sleeves for the camera and urged Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in a one-minute spot from the Ad Council.

“This is our shot,” former President Bill Clinton, 74, says.

“Now it’s up to you,” says former President Jimmy Carter, 96.

Former President Barack Obama, 59, says the vaccine “means hope,” and he’s looking forward to hugging former first lady Michelle Obama’s mom.

Former President George W. Bush, 74, says he’s looking forward to a full stadium for the Texas Rangers’ first baseball game of the season.

“Right now, the COVID-19 vaccines are available to millions of Americans. And soon, they’ll be available to everyone,” Mr. Bush says.

The ad features the presidents speaking about their hopes for the future and still shots of them and first ladies Mrs. Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton and Rosalynn Carter getting their shots. The three younger presidents speak directly to the camera.

Roughly a quarter of U.S. adults have received at least one shot of the two-dose vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, or the one-shot version from Johnson & Johnson. 

The U.S. is trying to vaccinate at least 70%-85% of the population so it can reach the type of “herd immunity” that eases pressure on hospitals and makes it difficult for the virus to spread.

Mr. Clinton says he wants to “go back to work and be able to move around,” while Mr. Carter says he’s doing his part to make the pandemic end sooner.

Former President Trump, who oversaw the development of the vaccines, is conspicuously absent. 

Mr. Trump and former first lady Melania Trump quietly received their vaccines before leaving the White House in January, instead of beaming for the cameras.

Polls suggest Trump supporters, including white Republicans and rural residents, are among the most likely to resist getting vaccinated, so his voice might be persuasive.

Mr. Trump did tell people to get their shot during the recent Conservative Political Action Conference and, late Wednesday, reminded people in a statement that he deserved credit for the vaccines’ speedy development.