Incoming Biden chief of staff on COVID vaccine rollout: 'We're inheriting a huge mess'

Authored by thehill.com and submitted by sunhistory
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President-elect Biden's incoming chief of staff, Ron Klain Ron KlainBiden transition outlines executive actions for first 10 days to deal with 'compounding crises' Sunday shows preview: Washington prepares for an inauguration and impeachment; coronavirus surges across the US The Hill's Morning Report - Biden asks Congress to expand largest relief response in U.S. history MORE, said Sunday that his boss was inheriting a "huge mess" from the Trump administration when it comes to the U.S. rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.

"We're inheriting a huge mess here, Jake, but we have a plan to fix it, the president-elect put out that plan on Friday," Klain told CNN's Jake Tapper Jacob (Jake) Paul TapperTapper battles GOP lawmakers over criticism of Afghan vet's Electoral College vote Kelly says Trump can't admit to making mistakes: 'His manhood is at issue here' 'I saw my life flash before my eyes': An oral history of the Capitol attack MORE on "State of the Union."

Klain said that a $20 billion effort to fight COVID-19 in the U.S. unveiled by the president-elect on Friday would put the U.S. on track to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

He said the incoming Biden administration planned to take steps to increase both the production and distribution of the two COVID-19 vaccines approved for emergency use in the U.S.

"We think there are things we can do to speed up the delivery of that vaccine, and make that vaccine supply go farther," Klain said. "For example, one thing the president-elect mentioned yesterday was using the Defense Production Act to ramp up the production of a particular type of syringes that allow us to get six doses of the vaccine out of a vial instead of five."

Klain added that despite concerns about the federal government's reserve of vaccines being depleted, the Biden team currently believes the U.S. is on track to reach "100 million shots in 100 days" following Biden's inauguration.

Biden labeled the Trump administration's vaccine rollout a "dismal failure" in a speech Thursday and pledged to focus on both improving the U.S. vaccine distribution infrastructure as well as combatting skepticism towards the vaccine in some communities.

“The vaccine rollout in the United States has been a dismal failure thus far,” Biden said Thursday. “This will be one of the most challenging operational efforts we’ve ever undertaken as a nation. We’ll have to move heaven and earth to get more people vaccinated.”

WeShootNow on January 17th, 2021 at 18:17 UTC »

Just like every time a republican leaves office, no surprise here.

DingDongsEverywhere on January 17th, 2021 at 18:15 UTC »

And republicans will try to twist it.

Just no. This is a republican created problem through and through.

JKush4PrisonF5 on January 17th, 2021 at 18:13 UTC »

By design.