Biden snaps during White House presser, tells a reporter to give him a break

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• As Biden prepares to wrap up a White House briefing, President Biden was ticked by one reporter’s suggestion about his administration vaccination target.
• Press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden’s goal was to administer vaccines at an average of 1 million per day, an increase of 100% from Trump’s 500,000 daily immunization.
• Biden admitted that the current numbers are inadequate, and it will take many months before all Americans can get their doses.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden showed his infamously defensive skin while discussing his coronavirus plan, losing his temper when a reporter asked if his aim of vaccinating 100 million individuals in a hundred days was way too little.

Biden said that when he publicized the plan, the media said it was impossible,  telling the reporter

“Come on, gimme a break, man! It’s a good start.”

Based on the data by Bloomberg News, when Biden officially became a president on Wednesday, the week’s daily average of 912,497 doses was being distributed under departing President Donald Trump.

When Biden’s press briefing was about to end, he was asked if he would not aim for a higher target.

In the succeeding news briefing, press secretary Jen Psaki restated Biden’s statement on his defense, explaining that with Trump’s leadership, around 17 million out of 36 million vaccines were given with a daily average of about 500,000.

“What we are proposing is to double that to about 1 million shots per day,”

underlined the press secretary. She added that the goal was discussed in coordination with medical and health authorities in the U.S.

In the same presser, though, Biden’s head medical consultant, Dr. Anthony Fauci, confirmed that the more contagious COVID-19 mutation from Britain was also recently seen in around 20 or more U.S states.

Fauci further explained that initial data indicated that medication with laboratory-produced antibodies might be inefficient against another COVID-19 strain found in Brazil and South Africa, noting that the recent developments only showed that vaccination should be done more rapidly.

During Biden’s conference, however, the president candidly acknowledged that the current target is still way behind, admitting that more months will still be required to get every American vaccinated.

Biden also noted that his administration would utilize the Defense Production Act to increase vaccine production.

Biden also announced that the coronavirus casualty, which now reached more than 400,000, would potentially reach 500,000 the following month, and remain to surge.

And while the president clarified that

”things are going to continue to get worse before they get better,”

he added that 

“To a nation waiting for action, let me be clear on this point: Help is on the way.”

Biden recurrently focused on the 198-page plan highlighting his seven objectives for coronavirus readiness and response.

The 46th U.S President also approved ten executive orders at a conference earlier, including mask-wearing mandates during travels outside the states, and the use of the Defense Production Act.

The latest policies also include obliging all travelers from abroad to be screened before arriving and a mandatory two-week quarantine.

Source: New York Post