WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — The White House COVID-19 response team will brief the public a day after President Joe Biden announced several measures to get more Americans vaccinated in the coming months.
The nation's top infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and other members of the team will give an update Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET.
With the U.S. shipping out its third coronavirus vaccine, Biden has said he's confident there would be enough doses available for each adult in the country by the end of May.
The president said he's upbeat about reaching his goal of delivering 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office, but urged Americans to remain vigilant in wearing masks and observing social distancing.
On Tuesday, Biden announced that Merck and Co Inc. will help make rival Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine in a partnership that he called an example of “good corporate citizenship.”
"Today's announcements are a huge step in our effort to beat this pandemic," Biden said in a televised statement from the White House. "But I have to be honest with you. This fight is far from over."
Meanwhile, the president is also calling on states to prioritize COVID-19 vaccinations for teachers to ensure children could return to school quickly and safely. He said every educator should receive at least one shot by the end of March.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said Biden's announcement was "great news for everyone who wants in-school learning."
Biden, whose new education secretary took office on Tuesday, said increased production of the three vaccines would boost what he called a "national imperative" to reopen U.S. schools given growing mental health concerns and widening disparities caused by the challenges of remote learning.
Biden said over 30 states had already taken steps to ensure educators were vaccinated and that he was using the full authority of the federal government to direct the remaining states to follow suit.
"My challenge is this: We want every educator, school staff member, childcare worker to receive at least one shot by the end of the month of March," he said, noting that parents were exiting the labor market in "astonishing numbers" to help their children learn remotely.
To meet that goal, Biden said the federal pharmacy program would prioritize the vaccination of pre-kindergarten through grade 12 educators and staff, as well as child care workers.
He said he was still pushing to have most schools open by the end of his first 100 days in office, but added that it required passage of the $1.9 trillion rescue plan working its way through Congress. The plan includes some $130 billion for the nation's schools.
"Let's treat in-person learning like an essential service that it is, and that means getting essential workers (who) provide that service - educators, school staff, child care workers .... vaccinated immediately," he said.
Reuters contributed to this report. Reporting by Nandita Bose and Andrea Shalal.
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