Published 13:34 IST, December 30th 2020
'Falling far behind': Biden slams Trump for not reaching COVID vaccine distribution goal
Biden reiterated the warning that "things will get worse before they get better," as he asked Americans to wear a mask and follow health safety measures.
President-elect Joe Biden on December 29 condemned US President Donald Trump for "falling behind" on distributing the coronavirus vaccines. In a live-streamed address on the COVID-19 pandemic crisis from Wilmington, Delaware, Biden said, "As I long feared and warned, the effort to distribute and administer the vaccine is not progressing as it should.” He berated the Trump administration, saying that the sitting US President had planned to vaccinate nearly 20 million Americans by the end of December and had been unable to achieve that target. "After ten months of the pandemic, we still don’t have enough testing. It’s a travesty," the president-elect Joe Biden said in a tweet. Biden's remarks came after he and Vice president-elect Kamala Harris held a COVID-19 meeting with experts.
In his address, Biden urged the Americans to wear a mask and follow health safety measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus. He reiterated the warning that "things will get worse before they get better." Biden told the Americans that as the New Year approaches, "We have to be honest that we have a very tough year ahead, maybe the toughest during the entire pandemic." Biden added, "We're grateful to the companies, the doctors, the scientists, the researchers, the clinical trial participants, and operation warp speed for developing the vaccines quickly. But as I long feared and warned the effort to distribute the vaccine is not progressing as it should."
Biden asks Americans to 'make a sacrifice'
Biden's remarks come as only 2.1 million people have so far been vaccinated in the US despite the distribution of 11.5 million doses as of December 29. Meanwhile, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci told CNN that Operation Warp Speed was falling behind in its goal of inoculating 20 million Americans before 2020 ended. Biden, however, urged that while the vaccinations were falling behind, the Americans could save lives if they just "step up together, wear a mask, socially distance, wash our hands, avoid large indoor gatherings." He urged the families to make a sacrifice that they were already making every single day by adhering to the protocol on the New Year.
Updated 13:32 IST, December 30th 2020