Biden recruits federal muscle for vaccine blitz
US President-elect Joe Biden announced on Friday he would surge federal resources into making “thousands” of vaccine sites, while also deploying mobile clinics and expanding the public health workforce to accelerate the rollout of Covid-19 shots.
Mr Biden has said he wants 100 million Americans to receive injections during his first 100 days in office, a drastic increase from the current pace.
“This is going to be one of the most challenging operational efforts ever undertaken by our country,” the 78-year-old Democrat said on Friday from Wilmington, Delaware.
“But you have my word: we will manage the hell out of this operation.”
The afternoon address came a day after he unveiled a US$1.9 trillion (57.2 trillion baht) stimulus package for the battered economy that included $20 billion for vaccines and $50 billion for testing.
As of Thursday morning, some 30 million doses had been sent to states with only 11.1 million injected into arms, according to official data, well behind the Trump administration’s target of 20 million in December.
Mr Biden’s plan would drastically increase the role of the federal government in the distribution effort, mobilising the Federal Emergency Management Administration and reimbursing states that deploy their National Guard.
Mr Biden has also asked Congress to fund the expansion of the nation’s public health workforce to 100,000 personnel, nearly triple the current number.
The push comes as the incoming leader was seeking to wrest the focus from the impeachment of Donald Trump to the agenda for his first days in office.