Biden celebrates 50M vaccines deployed under his administration despite 'setbacks'
Biden delivered remarks announcing that the U.S. is "halfway" to his goal of administering 100 million vaccines in his first 100 days after he, Harris and Dr. Anthony Fauci, watched as four people received a COVID-19 vaccine.
"50 million shots in just 37 days since I’ve become president. That's weeks ahead of schedule, even with the setbacks we faced during the recent winter storms which devastated millions of Midwestern cities, towns, and also the same in the South," Biden said. "We're moving in the right direction, though, despite the mess we inherited from the previous administration."
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Biden also worked to counter vaccine hesitancy, announcing that the administration is going to launch a "massive campaign" to educate Americans about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines.
"And there are folks who are hesitant to take the shot in the first place. We all know there is a history in this country of subjecting certain communities to terrible medical and scientific abuse," Biden said. "But if there is one message that needs to cut through, it's this: The vaccines are safe and effective"
Biden also pushed his COVID-19 relief bill, the American Rescue Act, and said he hopes Congress will pass it.
Despite the milestones that he touted, the president also offered a warning not to relax health measures.
"So I want to make something really very clear: this is not a time to relax," Biden said. "We must keep washing our hands, stay socially distanced, and for god's sake, wear a mask."