WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — President Joe Biden is set to deliver remarks on the state of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States Monday, days after he pledged to have 200 million vaccine doses administered by the end of his first 100 days in office. That’s double the goal he set in December and reached earlier this month before his 60th day in office.
“I know it’s ambitious, twice our original goal, but no other country in the world has even come close,” Biden said at his first news conference last week.
Biden is expected to speak at 2:10 p.m. ET. NewsNation Now will stream the remarks in the player above.
The Biden administration has increased its shipments of COVID-19 vaccines after a month of largely stagnant weekly deliveries, giving states the doses they say they need to finish vaccinating priority groups and open shots to all adults in the coming weeks.
About half of U.S. states plan to begin offering shots to all residents over the age of 16 in April, ahead of the Biden administration’s target date of May 1 for widespread vaccine availability.
The government boosted its weekly allocations of COVID-19 doses by more than 20% to 27 million last week. That includes 4 million J&J vaccine doses, up from only a few hundred thousand in weeks prior.
The biggest supply boost has come from Johnson & Johnson. Shipments of the one-shot vaccine had been slow to ramp up since its late February authorization as the company waited for regulatory clearance of a key U.S. factory. Pfizer also has boosted the output of its vaccine, doubling batch sizes and shortening production time.
However, the nation’s top infectious disease expert warned of rising numbers of cases and hospitalizations across the country.
“When I’m often asked, ‘Are we turning the corner?’ my response is really more like we are at the corner,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci. “Whether or not we’re going to be turning that corner still remains to be seen.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said she is worried about another coronavirus surge similar to the fall.
“Right now, I’m scared…I so badly want to be done,” Walensky said Monday. “So I’m asking you to just hold on a little longer.”
The CDC stressed that people need to keep protecting themselves with masks and social distancing. Experts say they’re disturbed by what they’re seeing across the country, like the large crowds gathering in Miami during Spring Break.
Overall, more than 180.6 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed, with more than 143.4 doses administered according to the CDC. Since Biden took office in January, his administration has administered nearly 130 million doses of the shot.