Former 2020 Democratic candidate John Delaney proposes Americans be paid $1,500 to get vaccinated.
The former U.S. Representative said Thursday providing stimulus checks for those who agree to be inoculated should speed up the process.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received applications from both Pfizer Inc. and Moderna, Inc. for emergency use of their coronavirus vaccines. Sources with knowledge in the matter said approval could be granted within the next few days.
"The faster we get 75% of this country vaccinated the faster we end COVID and the sooner everything returns to normal," Delaney said during an interview.
Health officials have said if vaccines were approved the first to get inoculated would be health care and front-line workers. The rest of the public won't likely get them until March, officials said.
While both pharmaceutical companies have published promising findings on studies on the efficacy of their vaccines there is still skepticism among the public. Many said they were concerned the companies had to roll out the vaccines faster than usual.
A poll conducted by Gallup showed that 42% of Americans said it wouldn't agree to get vaccinated even if it was approved by the administration. Others said they want to see if they are safe and effective.
"We have to create, in my judgment, an incentive for people to really accelerate their thinking about taking the vaccine. So if you can spend $400 billion - this is what you should spend it on," Delaney said.
Congress is still rolling out a $300 a week jobless benefit to tackle the country's growing unemployment. It is also in the process of approving a $160 billion aid for local governments, airlines, transit systems and universities.
