Jill Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci Visit Harlem COVID-19 Vaccination Site, Confronted By Protesters At Church

First Lady Jill Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director, visited a COVID-19 vaccination site in Harlem on Sunday.

Biden and Fauci visited a COVID-19 site at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem along with Senator. Kristen Gillibrand (NY-D). The group met with workers registering patients for their vaccines and watched about 125 people receive their vaccinations.

Biden added public health officials have begun giving vaccination shots to adolescent and teen children. Part of that effort is setting up COVID-19 vaccination sites in local community centers, churches, and other locations.

“People in this community trust this church and trust the people in the church. And that’s how we’re going to do this, you know, through some faith community to reach out to the congregation or block to say, ‘Come forward and be vaccinated,’” Biden said according to The Hill.

Biden tried to help a young boy who was scared to get the shot.

“You OK?” Biden asked the boy. “You’re 14, so you’re exactly who we’re going for. We definitely want 12 and over to get vaccinated.”

Biden offered to hold the boy’s hand while he received the shot, but the boy declined. It wouldn’t be the only weird moment for the group, who arrived at Abyssinian Baptist Church met by a group of protestors kept away from the entrance to the church.

Protestors chanted “Fire Fauci” due to his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the release of his emails. The group also went after the first lady.

According to Mayor Andrew Cuomo’s office, 50 percent of New York residents are fully vaccinated, and more than 9.3 million residents are fully vaccinated. As of Monday morning, that puts New York 12th among states with the highest percentage of fully vaccinated residents. The top 10 states are Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maryland, New Mexico, and Hawaii.