College Gymnast Whips Out COVID-19 Vaccination Card After Sticking Vault Landing

Evan Manivong is making a name for himself in the world of college gymnastics—not just for his athleticism but also for his cleverness when it comes to advocating for people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. A video recently resurfaced of the University of Illinois sophomore sticking his vault routine and tying his career-high score at a meet last month. He then took a moment to take out his vaccine card from his leotard to show the crowd.

“Sign me up for one of those cards,” an announcer joked after watching Manivong’s routine. “That was amazing.” 

Manivong tweeted, “It’s my vaccination card… go get vaccinated everyone!”

Manivong was recently named a College Gymnastics Association regular-season All-American on the vault for “holding a national qualifying average of 14.717, good for sixth in the country.” The fact that he’s using his spotlight to encourage others to receive the COVID-19 vaccine is being met with lots of online support.

Currently, the Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are authorized by the FDA for use. “Vaccinated people do not carry the virus, don’t get sick, and that is not just in the clinical trials but it’s also in real-world data,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky explained on The Rachel Maddow Show on March 29, 2021. That data came from a CDC study of about 4,000 essential workers who received either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. The people in the study were vaccinated and tested for coronavirus every week for 13 weeks while taking part in daily life in the United States.

Last month, President Joe Biden announced an update on when Americans will be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

President Biden said, “About three weeks ago, we were able to say that we’ll have enough vaccine supply for adults by the end of July, and I’m pleased to announce today, as a consequence of this stepped-up process that I’ve ordered and just outlined, this country will have enough vaccine supply…for every adult in America by the end of May.”