President-elect Joe Biden has promised a stronger response from the US government to the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s what we know about his plans to accelerate vaccine rollout and beat Covid-19:
What is Joe Biden’s vaccine distribution plan?
Mr. Biden wants to speed up the pace of vaccinations and aims to deliver 100 million doses of the vaccine during the first 100 days of his presidency. He would spend $ 20 billion on the national vaccination program.
To speed up vaccinations, he said his government would work with federal, state and local officials to set up thousands of community vaccination centers across the country and deploy mobile units in rural and disadvantaged areas. Mr. Biden pledged 100 federally aided centers by the end of his first month in office. The Federal Emergency Management Agency would help set it up, and the federal government would reimburse states that deploy the National Guard to assist with vaccinations. Mr. Biden also said he aims to increase the rate of vaccination by making injections available at independent pharmacies and chain pharmacies.
In addition, Mr Biden has pledged to make the vaccine available to all members of the public free of charge, without cost-sharing, regardless of immigration status.
His administration also planned to release almost all available vaccine doses. The Trump administration had withheld stock for second doses, but then decided to release it when the Covid-19 cases piled up.