Joe Biden revealed his coronavirus initiatives on Tuesday after speaking with National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci.
"We're not getting out of it quickly, it's going to take some time," Biden cautioned. "But I'm absolutely convinced that in 100 days we can change the course of the disease, and change life in America for the better."
Here's what he's asking for "the first 100 days of his administration."
NEW: President-elect Biden unveils three coronavirus initiatives for first 100 days of his presidency, formed after consultation with Dr. Fauci:
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 8, 2020
• Calls for everyone to wear a mask
• 100,000,000 vaccine shots in first 100 days
• Open a “majority” of schools pic.twitter.com/CCykh7B9v2
He'll require masks where he can under the law, like in federal buildings, interstate travel on planes, trains and buses.
"We're going to require masks wherever possible," he said, calling it a "patriotic act."
As for the first 100,000,000 shots of the coronavirus vaccine, they'll be going to health care workers, and then, "as soon as possible," educators. He promised that this will be "the most efficient mass vaccination plan in U.S. history."
He urged Congress fund the distribution efforts and said that the Trump administration needs to "act now" to purchase the doses they've negotiated with Pfizer and Moderna.
President Trump would reply that his administration has been moving at record speed.
“My Administration has initiated the single greatest mobilization in U.S. history — pioneering, developing, and manufacturing therapies and vaccines in record time," he said in a statement on Tuesday, before noting that he is signing an Executive Order to ensure that the American people are first in line to benefit from United States Government COVID-19 vaccines developed or procured using taxpayer resources.
Operation Warp Speed, which Trump introduced in May has helped to develop vaccines five times faster than any other vaccine in history, he adds. And despite the speed of the process, Dr. Fauci assured Americans that they took no shortcuts on safety.
The FDA concluded, after its detailed analysis on Tuesday, that the Pfizer vaccine has “met the prescribed success criteria." The agency is meeting on Dec. 10 to discuss the company's emergency authorization request. The first two doses of the Pfizer vaccine were administered to two elderly individuals in the UK.