President-elect Joe Biden delivered comments Friday afternoon on his plan to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to the American public during his first 100 days in office.
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"We remain in a very dark winter," Biden began, highlighting the increased death rates seen across the country in recent memory.
However, he says, “The vaccines offer so much hope.” The president-elect criticized the current vaccine rollout efforts, calling it "a dismal failure."
From there, Biden reiterated his goal of getting 100 million vaccines to Americans within his first 100 days in office. "I’m convinced we can get it done,” he says.
He says his administration will work with state governments to open up vaccine availability to more priority groups while continuing to administer doses to frontline workers and those aged 65 and over.
During his first month in office, Biden says he will have health clinics pair up with mobile units to deliver the vaccine to communities that have been hit hardest by the pandemic.
The president-elect went on to say his administration will "fully activate pharmacies" throughout the U.S., working with chain and independent pharmacies to get as many vaccines to the American people as possible.
Biden also promises to "be honest and transparent" about the COVID-19 vaccine and the state of the pandemic. "You're entitled to know," he says.
He acknowledged that there has been hesitation among those skeptical about the vaccine's efficacy, offering assurance that science has proven that the vaccine works.
"It may take many months to get where we need to be," says the president-elect. Until then, he urges all Americans to wear masks.“This is not a political issue,” he says. “This is about saving lives. This is a patriotic act.”
Biden says 50,000 lives can be saved by April if everyone wore masks.
“The more people we vaccinate and the faster we do it, the sooner we can put this pandemic behind us,” he says. “We can’t solve our problems as a divided nation. The only way we come through this is if we come through it together as Americans.”
