New administration preps pandemic response

President-elect Joe Biden has said he wants the United States to administer 100 million COVID-19 shots in the first 100 days he is in office. He unveiled a $1.9 trillion legislative proposal to deal with the coronavirus on Thursday night.

What’s his plan? Biden will ask Congress to work on a new economic relief package, which includes unemployment aid, more funds for states, and $1,400 checks to bring individuals’ total stimulus relief since Christmas to $2,000. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, who will soon become Senate Majority Leader, said the bill would top the chamber’s priorities this year. Meeting Biden’s vaccination goal will require upping the number of people getting shots each day. The president-elect plans to work closely with state and local governments to distribute doses more efficiently. The number of Americans getting immunized each day is approaching 1 million.

Dig deeper: Read John Dawson’s report in Beginnings about the U.K. variant of the virus, which has surfaced in several U.S. states.

Editor's note: WORLD has updated this report since its initial posting.