U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in the Cross Room of the White House on February 22, 2021, the day the death toll from the Chinese Communist virus (Wuhan pneumonia) surpassed 500,000 across the United States.
President Biden said he hopes to provide every American adult with enough vaccine for the Chinese Communist virus (Wuhan pneumonia, COVID-19) by the end of May. He said the milestone is achievable after the latest vaccine partnership agreements with two major pharmaceutical companies.
Johnson & Johnson recently became the third COVID-19 vaccine in the United States to receive emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Biden announced Tuesday evening that Johnson & Johnson and Merck will collaborate to expand production of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. He called the move “an important step forward.
He said, “This is like the kind of cooperation we saw between companies in World War II.” He then thanked the two companies for being “good corporate citizens who have stepped up to the plate in this national crisis.”
Biden said the government will invoke the Defense Production Act to fund two Merck manufacturing facilities to produce Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson is moving to speed up vaccine production with the “urging and assistance” of the U.S. government, and its facilities will begin operating around the clock.
“In addition, we will continue to use the Defense Production Act to accelerate the manufacture of critical materials in vaccine production, such as equipment, machinery and supplies,” he said, “and I have asked the Department of Defense to provide day-to-day logistical support to enhance Johnson & Johnson’s effectiveness.”
“This is all so that we can hopefully have an adequate supply of vaccine for every American adult by the end of May.” Biden said. That timeline has been moved up significantly from three weeks ago, when the administration did not expect to reach that goal until the end of July.
“This is progress, important progress,” Biden said, “but it’s not enough to have a vaccine supply. We need vaccinators to put the vaccine in people’s arms, in the arms of millions of Americans.”
In his remarks, Biden noted that more than 1,500 federal medical personnel have been deployed to assist in vaccinating the nation, adding that millions of vaccines have been delivered to more than 7,000 pharmacies across the country. He added that the federal government is working with the states to establish hundreds of mass vaccination centers so that thousands of people can be vaccinated every day.
Biden said, “Every educator, school worker, child care provider, will receive at least one dose by the end of March.” To help achieve this goal, the government will use its federal pharmacy program to prioritize vaccinations for all educators and school staff, and child care workers.
“I want to be clear: Not every educator will get an appointment in the first week, but our goal is to do everything we can to help every educator receive their shot this month, in March.”
When asked when things will be back to normal, Biden said, “I’ve been cautioned not to give an answer on that because we don’t know for sure. But my hope is that by this Time next year, we’ll be back to normal.”
The president’s announcement came as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ended the state’s muzzle order while allowing all local businesses to fully reopen.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott file photo.
“With medical advances in vaccines and antibody treatment drugs, Texas now has the tools to protect Texans from the virus. We must now do more to restore livelihoods and normalcy for Texans and open Texas 100 percent.” Abbott said.
“Make no mistake, COVID-19 has not gone away, but as evidenced by the number of recoveries, the number of vaccinations, the number of hospitalizations, and the safety measures Texans have implemented, a state injunction is no longer needed.” The governor said.
“Today’s announcement does not abandon the safety measures Texans have mastered over the past year. Rather, it is a reminder that everyone has a role to play when it comes to their own personal safety and the safety of others,” the Republican governor added, “With this executive order, we are ensuring that all businesses and families in Texas have the freedom to determine their own Destiny.”
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