WILMINGTON, Del. (KYW Newsradio) — President-elect Joe Biden says he’ll immediately release any COVID-19 vaccine that the federal government is holding in reserve when he takes office, and he’ll use the Defense Production Act to ramp up the supply.
Outlining his vaccine distribution plan Friday at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Biden said he wants states to immediately begin giving the vaccine to people 65 and older, along with front-line essential workers, even if they haven’t completed vaccinating health care workers.
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He acknowledged that there’s not enough vaccine to distribute it to that expanded pool of people, but he said freeing up the doses the Trump administration has held in reserve will help.
“There are tens of millions of doses of vaccine sitting unused in freezers around the country while people who want and need the vaccine can’t get it,” he said.
He said he’ll muster more people to administer the shots and use the Defense Production Act to speed up manufacturing. It will all be done with equity, he promised, and there will be an effort to convince vaccine skeptics.
Biden also promised to set up more sites to get the vaccine. He said there would 100 by the end of his first month in office — in school gyms, stadiums and community centers.
“This is going to be one of the most challenging operational efforts ever undertaken by our country, but you have my word that we will manage the hell out of this operation,” he assured.
He warned it would take time to show results and Congress to appropriate the funding, though he didn’t name a price tag.
Biden aims is to get 100 million vaccines into people's arms within his first 100 days in office.
“This is the time to set big goals, to pursue them with courage and conviction, because the health of the nation is literally at stake.”