Biden's goal of inoculating 100 million in 100 days is 'absolutely achievable', says Fauci

Joe Biden’s goal of administering 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccine within his first 100 days of taking office is "absolutely achievable", America’s top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci said on January 17. Fauci, who has been at loggerheads with outgoing President Donald Trump on the handling of the pandemic, stressed that Biden’s inoculation goal "could be done". The 80-year-old who was threatened to be sacked by Trump is all set to assume the role of Biden’s chief advisor on COVID-19 after the new administration swears in.

Speaking to NBC network’s ‘Meet the Press’, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) said that the feasibility of the office was “absolutely achievable”. "We just need not be hesitant to use whatever mechanisms we can to get everything on track and on the flow that we predict. But the feasibility of his goal is absolutely clear, there’s no doubt about it. That can be done", Fauci said in the interview that was broadcasted across American states. 

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31.1 doses delivered

While the Trump administration had promised to inoculate 20 million people by December, their failure to do so has left the American population in ire. Now, Biden is tasked with primarily resolving the problem of quick and accurate vaccination. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 31.1 million doses have been delivered so far, but less than 40 per cent (12.2 million) has been administered.

In the view of same, Biden, last week, picked Dr David Kessler to help lead Operation Warp Speed which aims to expedite the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccine jabs across the American territory. Dr Kessler, a paediatrician and lawyer by profession, had led the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during both the Obama administration as well as the Clinton Administration. The appointment marks a major step towards the incoming leader’s vow to deliver 100 million vaccine shots in the first 100 days of his administration. Working alongside Gen. Gustave F Perna, Kessler would be charged with the manufacturing, distribution and the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

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