created on September 29, 2020 shows Democratic Presidential
candidate and former US Vice President Joe Biden (L) and US
President Donald Trump speaking during the first presidential
debate at the Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic
in Cleveland, Ohio on September 29, 2020.
JIM WATSON, SAUL LOEB / AFP
US President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday vowed a
relentless effort to fight COVID-19 the moment he takes office, as
he warned that Donald Trump’s vaccination drive was falling
dangerously short.
Speaking after a briefing by experts, Biden promised that as
president he will undertake the “greatest operational challenge
we’ve ever faced as a nation” to inoculate against the illness that
has claimed more than 1.7 million lives globally.
“The Trump administration’s plan to distribute vaccines is
falling far behind,” Biden said, promising: “I’m going to move
Heaven and Earth to get us going in the right direction.”
The Trump administration had predicted that 20 million Americans
would be vaccinated by the end of December.
With less than three days left, some 2.1 million have received
the first shot of the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
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Biden, who takes office on January 20, confirmed that he would
invoke the Korean War-era Defense Production Act to force private
industry to step up vaccine production for the government.
He also implored Americans to wear masks to prevent the spread
of Covid-19 and said he would impose a mandate on face covers in
areas where the federal government has jurisdiction, such as
airplanes.
“We’re planning a whole-of-government effort and we’re going to
work to set up vaccination sites and send mobile units to
hard-to-reach communities,” Biden said,
“We’re going to make sure vaccines are distributed equitably so
every person can get one, no matter the color of their skin and
where they live.”
He voiced confidence of a return to normality in 2021 — but not
immediately.
“We might not see improvement until we’re well into March as it
will take time for our Covid response plan to begin to produce
visible progress,” Biden said.
“The next few weeks and months are going to be very tough — a
very tough period for our nation, maybe the toughest during this
entire pandemic.”
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