Vaccine hesitancy among Republicans emerges as Biden's next big challenge

As the pace of daily vaccinations slides in the US, the Biden administration is directing fresh urgency to one of the biggest political challenges it faces in stopping the spread of the coronavirus: tackling vaccine hesitancy, particularly among conservative and rural voters in the Southeast and Mountain West.

The nation's vaccine supply got a boost on Friday when the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration lifted their recommended pause on Johnson & Johnson's vaccine and said the label will be updated to warn of blood clot risks. The US has more than 9 million doses of that vaccine ready to be administered, CNN has learned. But there are concerns that the nearly two-week halt on the use of Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine, which has particular advantages for rural areas because it can be kept at warmer temperatures than the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, will make Americans skittish about taking it. And the hurdles that lie ahead for President Joe Biden in persuading Americans who did not vote for him to take the vaccine are coming into sharper focus as resistance among Republicans, White evangelicals and rural voters persists even though vaccines are now widely available.