“So, we are aware that there are problems out there. But, as the President said, the question we are going to ask is not to complain about them, but to try to fix them. Therefore, we admit that they exist. But we will try to straighten them out. “
But while the pace of distribution has increased considerably in recent weeks, the process has become even more urgent as new strains of coronavirus spread across the country.
With these additional doses, Biden said there would be enough to fully vaccinate 300 million Americans – almost the entire population of the United States – by the end of summer or early fall. He described efforts to combat Covid-19 as a “war enterprise” last week.
Both the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security, of which FEMA is a part, are in intense discussions about how the military can help the agency, including the possibility of sending up to 10,000 soldiers to mega vaccination centers.
Fauci said on Monday that mobilizing FEMA and the US military to help distribute vaccination is part of the strategic plan that will be set in motion, “literally soon to ensure that we overcome these logistical problems that we have now”.
In the meantime, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist urged Americans to “move on” and adhere to best public health practices while the vaccination effort is underway.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel,” he said, “but it will depend on us.”