Biden Administration Announces Plans to Increase Vaccine Distribution

Newly inaugurated President Joseph Biden has announced plans to combat the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with a goal of increasing vaccine distribution by setting up community vaccination sites nationwide.

Other goals of the Biden plan include scaling up testing and tracing programs, eliminating supply shortage problems, while investing in high-quality treatments. In addition, Biden wants to provide paid sick leave to contain the spread of the virus, address health disparities, and make the necessary investments needed to reopen a majority of K-8 schools in the first 100 days of the administration.

The vaccination plan is part of the larger $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which centers on providing financial support to struggling communities, including small businesses, while protecting the jobs of first responders, transit workers, and other essential workers.

Executive Orders

While the American Rescue Plan ultimately requires congressional approval, Biden is expected to take a number of measures during his first days in office that would be effective immediately.

As part of a package of 17 executive orders, Biden has required masks be worn on federal property and is expected to reversed the Trump Administration’s decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) and reengage with the organization in the coming days.

Plans to Increase Vaccine Distribution

As of January 18, the US was close to administering 800,000 daily COVID-19 vaccines, while the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reporting just 36% of the 30.6 million available vaccines have been administered.

However, according to several media reports, Amazon CEO Dave Clark has reached out to the new administration to offer assistance in distributing vaccines.

“As you begin your work leading the country out of the Covid-19 crisis, Amazon stands ready to assist you in reaching your goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans in the first 100 days of your administration,” Clark said in a letter, first reported by Reuters.

Since the first reported cases of COVID-19 in 2020, there has been 24.9 million cases in the US and 97 million cases worldwide. The US has also seen 414,094 deaths of the more than 2 million deaths globally.