Elected President Joe Biden has promised a stronger response from the US government to the coronavirus pandemic. This is what we know about his plans to speed up vaccination and beat back Covid-19:
What is the plan for the distribution of vaccines by Joe Biden?
Mr. Biden wants to accelerate the rate of vaccinations and set a target of administering 100 million doses of the vaccine during the first 100 days of his presidency. He will spend $ 20 billion on the national vaccination program.
To accelerate vaccinations, he said his government is working with federal, state and local officials to set up thousands of community vaccination centers across the country and deploy mobile units in rural and underserved areas. Mr. Biden promised one hundred federal support centers by the end of his first term. The Federal Emergency Management Agency would assist in setting it up, and the federal government would reimburse the states deploying the National Guard to assist with vaccinations. Mr. Biden also said he wants to increase the rate of vaccinations by making shots available at independent pharmacies and chain pharmacies.
In addition, Mr. Biden promises to make the vaccine available free of charge to all members of the public, at no cost sharing, regardless of immigration status.
His administration also planned to release almost all available vaccine doses. The Trump administration withheld supplies for second doses, but then decided to release them while the Covid-19 cases were ongoing.