Saturday, February 20, 2021

February 20, 2021 Statement by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on the Bilateral Virtual Meeting between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2021
 
Statement by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on the Bilateral Virtual Meeting between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

On February 23, President Joe Biden will participate in his first bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In this virtual event, the President will highlight the strong and deep partnership between the United States and Canada as neighbors, friends and NATO Allies.  The meeting will be an opportunity for the two leaders to review joint efforts in areas of mutual interest such as the COVID-19 response, climate change, and the economic ties that bind our countries, as well as the deep people-to-people bonds we share.  

President Biden and his Cabinet will also meet virtually with Canada's Ministers on a range of bilateral and global issues.

February 20, 2021 President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Texas Disaster Declaration

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2021

 
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Texas Disaster Declaration
                                                                                                                     
Yesterday, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Texas and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms beginning on February 11, 2021, and continuing.
 
The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Angelina, Aransas, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brazoria, Brazos, Brown, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Collin, Comal, Comanche, Cooke, Coryell, Dallas, Denton, DeWitt, Ellis, Falls, Fort Bend, Galveston, Gillespie, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hood, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Kaufman, Kendall, Lavaca, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Maverick, McLennan, Montague, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Nueces, Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Polk, Rockwall, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Scurry, Shelby, Smith, Stephens, Tarrant, Travis, Tyler, Upshur, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Wharton, Wichita, Williamson, Wilson, and Wise.
 
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
 
Federal funding is also available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency protective measures and hazard mitigation measures statewide.
 
Robert J. Fenton, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Jerry S. Thomas as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
 
Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.

February 19, 2021 Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Call with Jean-Charles Ellermann-Kingombe, Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Danish Prime Minister’s Office

 

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February 19, 2021
 
Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Call with Jean-Charles Ellermann-KingombePermanent Under-Secretary of State at the Danish Prime Minister’s Office

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke by phone yesterday with Jean-Charles Ellermann-Kingombe, Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Danish Prime Minister’s Office. Mr. Sullivan expressed the Biden Administration’s appreciation for the strong relationship between the United States and the Kingdom of Denmark. He thanked Mr. Ellermann-Kingombe for Denmark’s leadership of the NATO Mission Iraq and its continued contributions to the NATO Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. They agreed to work together on addressing the climate crisis and to coordinate on shared foreign policy priorities, including China and common interests in the Arctic and High North.

February 19, 2021 Statement by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on the Day of Remembrance of Japanese American Internment

 

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February 19, 2021

 
Statement by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on the Day of Remembrance of Japanese American Internment
 
Seventy-nine years ago today, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which stripped Japanese Americans of their civil rights and led to the wrongful internment of some 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent. In one of the most shameful periods in American history, Japanese Americans were targeted and imprisoned simply because of their heritage. Families were forced to abandon their homes, communities, and businesses to live for years in inhumane concentration camps throughout the United States. These actions by the Federal government were immoral and unconstitutional — yet they were upheld by the Supreme Court in one of the gravest miscarriages of justice in the Court’s history.
 
America failed to live up to our founding ideals of liberty and justice for all, and today we reaffirm the Federal government’s formal apology to Japanese Americans for the suffering inflicted by these policies. The internment of Japanese Americans also serves as a stark reminder of the tragic human consequences of systemic racism, xenophobia, and nativism. I reflect on the bravery of so many Japanese Americans who stood up against this hateful policy, including civil rights leaders like Fred Korematsu who fought against Japanese internment and were a symbol of hope. Their legacies remind us all that civil liberties must be vigorously defended and protected.
 

February 19, 2021 Remarks by President Biden at Pfizer Manufacturing Site Pfizer Kalamazoo Manufacturing Site Kalamazoo, Michigan

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2021
 
Remarks by President Biden at Pfizer Manufacturing Site
 
Pfizer Kalamazoo Manufacturing Site
Kalamazoo, Michigan
 
3:24 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Albert, thank you very much.  Thank you not only for what you do for the -- the credit you give me that I really don’t deserve.  This is -- this is a case of life and death.  We’re talking about people’s lives.  

I want you to know that once we beat COVID, we’re going to do everything we can to end cancer as we know it.  I’ve asked Dr. Eric Lander, a renowned Harvard/MIT scientist, to co-lead the Presidential Council of Advisors in Science and Technology, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy.  These are the White House offices that bring together the country’s top scientists and address our most pressing needs.  

They’ll be part of the administration’s work to develop a DARPA-like advanced research effort on cancer and other diseases, just like there is DARPA in the Defense Department that develops the breakthroughs to protect our country. 

This administration is going to be guided by science -- to save lives and to make lives better.  And that’s why I wanted to come here, Albert, to thank you and to thank all the workers here in Kalamazoo.  And I’m here to thank my good friend, Governor Whitmer, and she has become a good and close friend.  The Governor have been on the frontlines of this pandemic, as well, for a long time, and I think she’s doing an incredible job in a very difficult circumstances.

And Michigan is also fortunate to have my buddy Gary Peters as United States senator, and Debbie Stabenow.  Gary is here.  Gary has been a workhorse in making sure that we move through this funding to get things done, because he understands better than anyone: It’s about urgency -- the urgency of the moment.  So, Gary -- thank you, Senator.  Thank you for all you’re doing.

Last week, I toured the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.  I met world-class doctors, scientists, and researchers who were critical for discovering the vaccines in record time.  I remember when we first started talking about this, asking Dr. Fauci and others. They said, “Well, it could take up to several years, maybe as many as six or eight years, to find -- find a vaccine.”  It’s a miracle of science and the brilliant minds that we have around us.

And now it’s a second miracle -- a miracle of manufacturing -- to produce hundreds of millions of doses. Let me say that again: hundreds of millions of doses.

I came here because I want the American people to understand the extraordinary -- extraordinary work that’s being done to undertake the most difficult operational challenge this nation has ever faced.

And let me say parenthetically that it’s not enough that we find cures for Americans.  There needs to be cures that the world is able to take part of, because you can’t build a wall or a fence high enough to keep a pandemic out.

On our tour, I met a few of your nearly 3,000 workers, Albert: experts managing ingredients that come in from different cities and states; experts handling 3D modeling and artificial intelligence to ensure that every dose is properly crafted; experts ensuring an environ- -- a sterile environment so that each vial -- each and every one -- is safe and free of contaminants.

All of this is followed by extensive safety and quality control inspection, then careful packaging and labeling.  We walked by a freezer farm that then keeps those doses viable so they can be shipped.  This is an incredibly complex process.  And at every stop, safety is the utmost priority.

The whole process takes teamwork, precision, and around-the-clock focus.  Machinists operating some of the most advanced equipment in the world, working side by side with chemists, biologists, pioneering technologies that, less than a year ago, were little more than theories and aspirations.

And it takes a partnership, in our view, between the federal government and all of the companies and universities contributing to the vaccine effort. 

Just over four weeks ago, America had no real plan to vaccinate most of the country.  My predecessor -- as my mother would say, "God love him" -- failed to order enough vaccines, failed to mobilize the effort to administer the shots, failed to set up vaccine centers.  That changed the moment we took office.  

I directed Jeff Zients, my COVID-19 Response Coordinator, to lead my administration’s work with the vaccine manufacturers to buy more vaccines and to speed up delivery.  Albert referenced it earlier, and I want to thank him for making it happen.  Because we worked together, we're now on track to have enough vaccine supply for all Americans by the end of July.  And it doesn’t mean that it'll be in all Americans' arms, but enough vaccine will be available by that time.  These orders allow facilities like this one to plan ahead, accelerate their production schedules.  

Here’s what else we did: When we discovered that vaccine manufacturers weren’t being prioritized when it came to scrutinizing and securing supplies they needed, we fixed that problem and got them what they needed.  We also used the Defense Production Act to speed up the supply chain for que- -- for key equipment, like fill pumps and filters, which has already helped increase vaccine production.  

In fact, on our tier [sic] -- on our tour today, they showed me a critical piece of machinery they didn’t have before; now, they do.  And it’s allowing them to ramp up production.  

And as we increase supply, we’re carrying out a clear plan to get shots into the arms of 300 million Americans or more.  And I know people want confidence that it’s safe.  Well, I just toured, and that’s -- where it’s being made.  It takes more time to do the check for safety than it does to actually make the vaccine.  That’s how fastidious they are.  

And listen to Dr. Fauci.  Dr. Fauci assured me the COVID-9 [sic] vact- -- vaccines were safe.  That’s why, several weeks ago, I went through the rigorous scientific review.  That’s why I took my vaccine shot publicly to demonstrate to the American people that I know and believe it's safe.  That’s why Vice President Harris also received her shot publicly.  

We all know there is some history -- there's some hesitancy about taking this vaccine.  We all know there’s a history in this country of having subjected certain communities to terrible medical abuses in the past.  But if there’s one message to cut through to everyone in this country, it’s this: The vaccines are safe.  Please, for yourself, your family, your community, this country, take the vaccine when it’s your turn and available.  That’s how to beat this pandemic.  

And we’re making progress.  We deployed more vaccinators, the people who put the vaccine in your arm. We’re now making it possible for retired doctors and nurses to come back and, under the law, administer these shots.  We’ve put new vaccinators in the field.  These include over 800 medical personnel from our Commissioned Corps at the Department of Health and Human Services, and personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency -- FEMA -- the Defense Department, the National Guard.  We're literally lining up -- we're lining up thousands of vaccinators, because it's one thing to have the vaccine, and it's very different to get it in someone's arms.     

We’re also creating more places for people to get vaccinated.  We’ve provided $3 billion to states, territories, and tribes to create hundreds of new vaccination centers to ramp -- and ramp up the existing ones that now -- that are there.  

Right here in Michigan, with Governor Whitmer, FEMA has provided tens of millions of dollars to bolster the state’s community vaccination centers, from the National Guard at the Expo Center here in Kalamazoo, to the TF- -- excuse me, the TCF Center in Detroit, to parking lots and churches across the state.  

We’ve worked with governors in California, Texas, New York, and more to come, to stand up massive -- mass vaccine sites in stadiums that will be open 24/7, and arenas and community centers.  It’s an effort that’s on top of the federal government covering the full cost for the states’ use of their National Guards for pandemic efforts.  And you suggested I do that a while ago, and I promised you I'd do it, and we did it.

We also started shipping vaccines directly to thousands of local pharmacies across the country so eligible folks can get the COVID-19 shot like they would a flu shot.  

Here in Michigan, that’s already more than 220 pharmacies, like Rite Aid and Meijers, in more than 130 Michigan cities.  And that’s just the beginning.  It’s only been four weeks. 
    
And for folks who aren’t near a pharmacy or a mass vaccination center, we’re deploying mobile clinics. These are special vehicles and pop-up clinics that meet folks where they live -- folks who don’t have access to transportation to get the shots.  

We’re also supplying vaccines to community health centers -- federal community health centers -- to reach those who are hit the hardest: black, Latinos, Native Americans, and rural communities, which have higher rates of COVID infections and deaths than any other group.  

Here in Michigan, we’re already partnering with community health centers, serving more than 370,000 patients in 11 cities across the state.  That’s because you guys have pointed out where they were and why it was so important, and how we get to -- as Gary talks about, get to the people most in need and the people most dying from COVID.  This is important to ensure everyone is treated equally and those hardest hit get the care they deserve.   

We’re now at a point where we’ve seen the average daily number of people vaccinated nearly double, from the week before I took office, to about 1.7 million average per day getting a shot.  We’re on track to surpass my commitment.  

You may remember when I said, “In my first 100 days,” just before I was inaugurated -- which seemed like 100 days.  But anyway, “The first 100 days,” before I was inaugurated, “that we’d administer 100 million shots in my first 100 days.”  But we’re on the path to do that.  We’re averaging 1.7 million a day. Soon we’ll be at 50 million, and I’m confident we’ll exceed the number.  But that’s just the floor.  We have to keep going.    

But despite the progress, we’re still in the teeth of a pandemic.  New strains are emerging.  In a few days, we’ll cross 500,000 Americans who will have died from COVID-19.  Five hundred thousand.  That is almost 70,000 more than all the Americans who died in World War Two, over a four-year period.  All the sorrow, all the heartache, all the pain.    

And while we wait for everyone to get vaccinated, we still need you to wash your hands, stay socially distanced, and mask up to help save lives.  That’s why, with the authority I have as President, I signed an executive order -- the only authority I have to require this -- to require masking on all federal property, all modes of travel like planes, trains, and buses.  And we’ve been calling on governors and mayors and local officials -- Republicans and Democrats -– to institute mask mandates within their jurisdictions, just like Governor Whitmer has done here in Michigan.  

Look, I know it’s inconvenient, but you’re making a difference when you do it.  Everything we do matters. We need everyone to do their part for themselves, for their loved ones, and, yes, for your country.  It’s a patriotic duty.    
 
We need Congress to pass my American Rescue Plan that deals with the immediate crisis -- the urgency. Now, critics say my plan is too big, that it costs $1.9 trillion.  So that’s too much.  Well, let me ask them: What would they have me cut?  What would they have me leave out?  Should we not invest $20 billion to vaccinate the nation?  Should we not invest $290 million [billion] to extend unemployment insurance for the 11 million Americans who are unemployed so they can get by while they get back to work?  Should we not invest $50 billion to help small businesses stay open, when tens of thousands have had to close permanently?  Should we not invest -- and, by the way, they make up half the employment in America. Should we not invest $130 million [billion] to help schools across the nation open safely?  

Right now, 24 million adults, 11 million children don’t have enough food to eat.  And unless you think I’m exaggerating, think of those scenes you’ve seen on the television with cars lined up, which seemed like miles, to wait to have someone put a box of food in their trunk.  People never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever thought they would need help, and through no fault of their own, they’re in that circumstance.

If we don’t pass the American Rescue Plan, 40 million Americans will lose [some of their] nutritional assistance through a program we call SNAP, the old food stamp program.  Do we not invest $3 million -- $3 billion to keep families from going hungry? 

One in five Americans are behind in their rent.  One in ten are being in their mortgages.  How many people do you know that will go to bed tonight staring at the ceiling, saying, "God, what is going to happen if I don’t get my job, if I don’t have my unemployment check?  What's happened to me?  I'm losing my health insurance.  What do I do?" 

This is the United States of America, for God's sake.  We invest in people who are in need.  Do we not invest $35 billion to help people keep a roof over their heads?  I could go on, but you get the point.  I'm grateful that the Senate and the House are moving quickly.  And I'm prepared to hear their ideas on how to make the package better and make it cheaper.  I'm open to that.

But we have to make clear who is helped and who is hurt.  And my hope is that the Republicans in Congress listen to their constituents.  

According to the polls, there is overwhelming bipartisan support.  The vast majority of the American people -- more than 70 percent of the American people, with all the polls you all conduct, including a majority of Republicans -- want us to act, and act big and quickly and support the plan.

Major economists -- left, right, and center -- say we should focus on smart investments we can make now in jobs, in our people to prevent long-term economic damage to our nation and to strengthen the economic competitiveness going forward.

In fact, an analysis by the Wall Street firm Moody's estimates that if we pass my American Rescue Plan, the economy will create 7 million jobs this year.  This year.  

We've also been in constant contact with mayors and governors, county officials, members of Congress -- both parties.  Both parties.  I've met with them in my office; I've met with them in -- on the -- on the Internet -- on -- Zooming on with them.  Both parties in every state.  And guess what?  They agree we have to act now.  

I got a letter from more than 400 mayors, from big cities and small town.  They understand we're not going to get our economy back in shape and the millions of people back to work until we beat this virus.  

That’s why the American Rescue Plan puts 160 million -- billion dollars into more testing and tracing, manufacturing and distribution, and setting up vaccination sites -- everything that’s needed to get vaccines into people's arms, which is the most difficult logistical effort the United States has undertaken in peace time.  It includes $4 billion for new manufacturing plants so we're ready to manufacture vaccines in the future.  We don’t have to wait.  

I'm going to close with what I said before: I'll always be straight with you.  I said in my inaugural I'll be -- “give it to you straight from the shoulders," Roosevelt said.  Because the American people can take the truth.  They can handle anything.  

I can't give you a date when this crisis will end, but I can tell you we’re doing everything possible to have that day come sooner rather than later.  

And all of you here are doing some of the most important work in this facility, right here, that can be done.

And I know this is personal: I walked in today, and I won't say who came up to me, but one of the people in this building came up to me and said, "My father-in-law is dying from COVID."  I said, "Can I call?"  He said, "No.  He couldn’t take a call."  He says, "Keep him in his prayers, please."  

How many of you know somebody who's in real trouble or has passed?  How many people do you know who sat down to breakfast this morning and looked at an empty chair across the table?

You’ve seen the devastation of this virus in your family, your community, but you're stepping up.  You're saving lives here -- lives of your loved ones, your neighbors, your fellow Americans.  You're showing how this town, this state, this country takes care of our own, leaves nobody behind.  

We can do anything when we do it together.  I believe we’re on the road.  And I promise you, I know we'll run into bumps.  It’s not going to be easy here to the end, but we’re going to beat this.  We’re going to beat this.  

May God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.  And, Albert, thank you and your people for all you do.

MR. BOURLA:  Thank you, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.) 

     Q    President Biden, you’ve said that you think by the end of July is when we’ll have enough vaccines for all Americans.  But when do you think all Americans, or a majority, will have actually gotten the vaccine?

     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, all we got to do is do a little bit of the math.  Getting the vaccine and having it available is not the same as putting it in someone's arms.  This is going to be a continuous rolling effort.  So we'll have had -- we will have ordered, much of which will have been distributed, over 600 million doses by the end of July.  July 29th is the expected date.  That could change.  Look at what's happening with the weather now, for example: It's slowing up the distribution right now.  But I believe we'll be approaching normalcy by the end of this year.  And God willing, this Christmas will be different than the last.  

But I can't make that commitment to you.  There are other strains of the virus.  We don’t know what could happen in terms of production rates.  Things can change.  But we're doing everything the science has indicated we should do, and people are stepping up to get everything done that has to be done.  

We're going to have debates about whether or not -- for example, I can’t set nationally who gets in line when and first.  That’s a decision the states make.  I can recommend.  I can say what I've said -- like, I'm the guy that said we should lower it to 65 years of age.  I think 35 states have done that, or more.  I think that -- for example, I think it's critically important to get our kids back to school.  I think it's really important because of the psychological damage being done and the loss of time.  A kid loses a semester when they're in fifth grade -- it means they're not just a semester behind; they may be a year and a half behind.  All of the difficulty.  

You were at that town meeting I had with that little girl who was worried that, you know, her mommy -- told her mommy she worried maybe she's going to die.  So there's a lot.  I think it's important we get people back in school.

There's a difference, for example, according to the science now, between kids between the ages of 3 and probably 12 years old, in terms of whether they can absorb and/or communicate the disease than it is for kids who are 15, 16, 17, and 18 years old who congregate more together.  It's harder in a high school than it is in a grammar school.

We know certain things are necessary: social distancing, smaller class sizes, ventilation, testing, and the possibility that staff, whether it's the staff taking care of the sanitary conditions in the school, or simply -- you've heard me say this before -- bus drivers.  To open the schools, we need more buses and bus drivers.  We can't put kids packed in a bus, sitting next to one another. 

So we know the things that have to be done.  The question is the order in which we do them is going to -- determined on what moves the quickest and where the need is the greatest. Obviously, we still have to focus on first responders, our doctors, our nurses, those delivering the services. 

But the reason I bother to bore you with that detail is to try to explain to the American people that this is a process, but we know now the fundamental basic elements.  The fundamental basic elements are that, before you get the shot and after -- if you get the shots and after -- social distancing save lives, wearing masks saves lives, making sure that you wash your hands with hot water saves lives.  This is not hyperbole.  This is not a political statement.  It's a reality.  The science has demonstrated that. 

We also know that it's one thing to have a vaccine available.  The problem was, how do you get it into people's arms?  There's not enough people to vaccinate.  All the great hospitals in this state, and in my state, they can line up and give people, but they can't possibly handle the volume that is needed.  So what do you do?  You get more people qualified to give vaccinations.  The quicker you can open up places and that people can come up and demonstrate they're on -- on the pecking order and they're ready for their shot, and they're qualified -- keeping places open 24/7 makes a lot of sense, but you need people to do it. 

So we all know the basic things that have to happen.  Now, we also know that there are things that intervene.  Things happen.  Weather.  People get ill.  People get confused.  There's a lot of people who don't -- aren't able.  

You know, I -- you've heard me say before -- you know, my little granddaughter can use that cellphone of hers to do more in about 12 seconds than I can do it in an hour.  But a lot of people aren't able to -- a lot of people who need the help.  They say, "Well, get online."  Well, they don’t have a means to get online. They might not have, you know, the ability to get online, and they may not know how to do it. 

Talk about -- everybody is -- you know, most people are within five miles of a pharmacy.  Well, if you're living alone and you're a 68-year-old woman, and you're in a minority neighborhood, and there's no bus service, you might as well be 500 miles away.  That's why we're leading now -- and, Gary, you talked to me about it -- getting mobile vans to go out.  

So we know the kinds of things that have to be done.  But there has never ever, ever been a logistical challenge as consequence -- as consequential as we're trying to do.  But we're getting it done.  

And as my mom would say, with the grace of God and the goodwill of neighbors, we're going to save a lot of lives.  

Thank you very much.  

3:50 P.M. EST
 

February 19, 2021 Readout of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Call with Acting FEMA Administrator Bob Fenton

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2021
 
Readout of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Call with Acting FEMA Administrator Bob Fenton
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke this afternoon with Acting FEMA Administrator Bob Fenton about the severe winter weather situation facing central and southern parts of the United States. The President expressed his support to Acting Administrator Fenton for what FEMA has done to provide generators, water, blankets, and on-going support to the people of Texas, and all across the South. He also thanked him for FEMA’s role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and the role it has played in assisting with vaccination deployment. 
 
President Biden also let Acting Administrator Fenton know that he was ready to mobilize other federal agencies to bring additional support to the people of Texas and ensure that any critical needs are met. He also told the Acting Administrator that he intends to sign Texas’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration as soon as FEMA sends over the formal request from Governor Abbott later today. 
 
The President let Acting Administrator Fenton know that through senior administration officials the White House would continue to stay in close touch with FEMA, local officials, and organizations providing direct relief to monitor the impacts of the storms as they move across the United States.   
 

February 19, 2021 Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jen Psaki

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2021
 
Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jen Psaki

Aboard Air Force One
en Route Kalamazoo, Michigan
12:57 P.M. EST

MS. PSAKI:  Good afternoon.  Looking forward to our trip to Kalamazoo.  At the Pfizer facility, President Biden will see where most -- much of the nation's COVID-19 vaccine is being manufactured.  He will meet with those on the frontlines producing these vaccines and get an update on how his administration is working with them to increase output.

The President is working closely with manufacturers like Pfizer to get more vaccine supply out to the American people.  Specifically, the President used the Defense Production Act to allow Pfizer to receive priority for orders of lipids, bags, and filters to manufacture the vaccine.

He engaged -- the administration engaged with Pfizer suppliers to obtain the equipment needed to expand manufacturing capacity, including at the facility in Kalamazoo.  

As you know, Pfizer is on track to provide the U.S. 120 million doses by the end of March and 200 million doses by the end of May -- two months ahead of schedule.  

Pfizer will also deliver an additional 100 million doses, helping put us on track to have enough vaccines for all Americans by the end of July.  

Hold on.  I have a few more tiny things for you all.  

On the week ahead: Next week, the President will continue to bring the American people together to acknowledge the losses suffered during the pandemic, contain the virus, and protect American workers.  

On Tuesday, he will engage in a discussion on Black History Month.  On Wednesday, he will receive a briefing from his COVID-19 Response Team.  On Thursday, he will deliver remarks virtually to the National Governors Association Winter Meeting.  And on Friday, he will receive an economic briefing with the Treasury Secretary.  As always, we will provide additional details on his schedule as those are finalized.

One last piece: The President, as you know, spoke late in the evening with Texas Governor Greg Abbott -- we put out that readout late last night -- about the severe storms facing central and southern parts of the United States, including Texas.  He reiterated that the federal government will continue to work hand in hand with state and local authorities in Texas to bring relief and address the critical needs of the families affected.

As you heard him convey this morning, he will have a call with the Acting FEMA Administrator later this afternoon, which we will provide you all a readout of.  He has asked his team to expedite the request made by the leaders in Texas.  

The process -- how it works is that they send that request to FEMA, FEMA does an assessment; it then goes to our team in the White House under Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall.  He's asked for that to be expedited, and we will look to approve that and get them the relief and resources as quickly as possible.  

We expect that the initial focus will be on the counties that are most impacted and prioritized by FEMA, but we will see as it goes through and is expedited through the process.  

Okay, with that, your questions.

Q    Why is now the time to engage with Iran?  Does the President plan to raise issues along the lines of Iran's malign interference in the region?  This is the coming days after the missile attack in Erbil.  Why is now the time to sit down with them?

MS. PSAKI:  Well, first, we share a goal with our P5+1 one partners, which is preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.  What was announced yesterday, and what the President reiterated today, is an openness to having a diplomatic conversation.  

The Europeans, who are hosts of that, have offered to host that, and we have accepted.  But that is about having a conversation at the table.  We don't anticipate taking additional steps, as in snapback -- snapping back of sanctions in advance of that.  This is about having a conversation about the path forward.  And, yes, part of that, as we look ahead, would be a desire to have a conversation about their role in the region, their use of ballistic missiles, and that certainly is the administration's objective.

Go ahead.

Q    So Zarif said that the -- he, kind of, responded to the offer by saying that the U.S. had to pull back on sanctions before they would agree to talk.  So what's the administration's response to that?

MS. PSAKI:  There's no plan to take additional steps in advance of having a conversation -- a diplomatic conversation.

Q    And that includes a potential executive order promising to go back to the negotiating table for the JCPOA?  Like, the administration would not be willing to consider that an executive order?

MS. PSAKI:  Well, the Europeans have invited us.  And, as you know, the readout was put out through the State Department, through Secretary of State Tony Blinken, after his conversation with his E3 partners.  And it is simply an invitation to have a conversation -- a diplomatic conversation.  We don't need additional administrative steps to have that -- to participate in that conversation.

Q    Are there plans to have direct talks between Washington and Iran, or just through this channel with Europe?

MS. PSAKI:  This is the channel that we have used in the past, working in partnership with our P5+1 partners.  That's the diplomatic channel we anticipate taking moving forward.

Q    So no direct talks between Washington and Iran for right now?  

MS. PSAKI:  Iran is a long way from compliance.  This is simply the next step in the diplomatic process.

Q    Does he have a timeline on Iran?  Did he set some sort of a timeline on Iran, in terms of weeks, months, where he wants progress?  Or -- 

MS. PSAKI:  Tell me more about what you mean.  About when there'd be a conversation?  Or --

Q    Both.  Yeah, when there would be a conversation and when, you know, does he expect results so that we can move forward.  Did he set up some sort of a timeline?

MS. PSAKI:  I would certainly send you to our colleagues at the State Department who would obviously be on the frontlines of the diplomatic process.

Q    Does the White House still believe that the breakout time for Iran is now measured in a matter of months?  And how concerned is the President that Iran could try to further enrich uranium to try to, sort of, shorten that time and gain more leverage while these talks progress?

MS. PSAKI:  Well, part of the challenge of -- and part of the mistake of the prior administration's decision to pull out of the JCPOA was that we no longer had the visibility into what was happening on the ground.  So I would send you to the IAEA and others to provide an assessment.  

But certainly, you know, we have ongoing concerns about our lack of visibility and any path they would have to acquiring a nuclear weapon.

     Q    Changing gears to the President's speech this morning.  He laid out a choice, sort of said democratic governments have to -- are in this competition with autocratic ones.  Could you square the circle here?  While, you know, we've seen autocratic governments -- like the Chinese, like the Russians -- give out vaccines and engage in vaccine diplomacy while a very notable democracy, the United States, is not sharing its vaccines even with the Canadians.  The President is going to a plant where Justin Trudeau is begging for vaccines to come from this Kalamazoo plant, and we're not sharing them.  

MS. PSAKI:  Well, first, I will say we also made an announcement in the last 24 hours about our engagement and contribution to COVAX because we do feel that we make -- by making the global community safer, we make the American people safer.  And we feel that COVAX is the right organizing mechanism for that to ensure that vaccines are equitably distributed, that they are fairly distributed, and that also there is high-quality vaccines distributed around the world to countries who need that assistance.  

We have certainly not taken options off the table, but our plan and our priority right now is on ensuring that 300 million of -- you know, that -- it's less than that -- so that hundreds of millions of American people are vaccinated.  That's where our priority is.  But we remain committed to looking for opportunities, in addition to what we announced on COVAX, to contribute to the global effort to address COVID.

Q    So he is giving some of these Pfizer vaccines to the Canadians?

MS. PSAKI:  Again, I think we are focused now on vaccinating the American people.  But we made this contribution to COVAX.  We are committed to working through that organizing mechanism.  And all -- you know, there are a range of options on the table for how the United States can contribute to expand our contribution to the global effort to fight COVID.

Q    What's the threshold for donating surplus vaccines?  How many Americans need to be vaccinated before the U.S. will do that? 

MS. PSAKI:  You know, it's a great question, Kaitlan.  We're not at that point yet.  Obviously, we're contributing a significant amount financially to COVAX, which is the internation- -- the international organizing mechanism that we feel is most effective, has the most quality control, and is going to help distribute the vaccine equitably.  But we -- there are a range of options that remain on the table, but our priority and our focus is on vaccinating the American people.

Q    There was some reporting from, I think, Bloomberg and the FT about China considering export control -- export bans on rare earth minerals to U.S. defense companies.  Is that something that's on your radar?  And how would the Biden administration react if they did end up doing that? 

MS. PSAKI:  I'd probably have to talk to our national security team about that.  It's not an action that I've seen that they have taken to date.  So I will venture to do that and see if we can get you something more specific. 

Q    And I think that Biden said in his remarks earlier today that everyone needs to “play by the same rules.  U.S. and European companies are required to publicly disclose corporate governance structures and abide by rules to deter corruption and monopolistic [companies].  Chinese companies should be held to the same standard[s].”  And I was wondering if he's indicating some policy shift there.  Does he plan on, you know, pulling out of the MOU of -- with China over, like, accounting standards or something like that? 

MS. PSAKI:  I'm just not going to get ahead of our ongoing process.  I will say that, obviously, China's -- you know, China and our approach to China, and certainly China's -- you know, seeing China as a source of competition is a prominent topic of discussion with our European partners, our partners in Asia.  And I expect we will take a coordinated approach to addressing their -- you know, their approach to corporate governance.

Q    Did he tell governors during their meeting that the minimum wage raise will not be in the coronavirus bill?

MS. PSAKI:  He said what he had said publicly about a week and a half earlier during a CBS interview, which is that, you know, he is looking at -- he was in the Senate for 36 years, he knows it has to go through a process -- through the parliamentarian in the Senate.  He put the minimum wage -- an increase in the minimum wage in his bill because he hopes that it is -- because he feels that it is long overdue for that to be raised for American workers.  But he also knows it's got to go through a process.  And he also conveyed in that meeting, which was in the report, that he believes -- that he hopes that it is -- that it does stay in there.  That remains his view.

Q    If you're saying he repeated what he said in a CBS interview, so he did repeat that he doesn't think it's likely it will survive? 

MS. PSAKI:  I think he was reflecting on the fact that it has to go through a Senate parliamentary process.  So we have to see that that process has to work its way through.  He obviously leaves it up to Congress.  The bottom line is: His focus and his desire is to have the minimum wage increased.  He thinks it should happen over a period of time.  But he thinks workers -- American workers are long overdue in getting an increase. 

Q    Why is he raising that doubt about the parliamentarian when this certainly seems like the easiest way for the $15 minimum wage to become law?  Why is he even making -- raising those doubts to the public?  Why hasn't -- why didn't he just hold back on that until he saw what the parliamentarian decides to do?

MS. PSAKI:  He was in the Senate for 36 years.  I think he just follows closely what happens in Congress.  But he would not have put it in the bill if he did not want the minimum wage to be increased.  That's what he wants to see the outcome as, but he also knows, through many, many decades of working through legislation, that the bill that comes out the other end may not look exactly the same as the bill coming in.  And there's several steps.

Q    But does that have to do at all -- does it have to do at all with the fact that there are a couple of Democratic senators who are not warm to that idea, and that’s why he’s putting some of the doubt there -- because he wants to keep them on board?  

MS. PSAKI:  I would say there are also many Democrats who feel very, very strongly it should be in there.  He certainly understands that there are a range of views about different components of the package.  That's legislating.  That's how democracy should work.  He was simply explaining to them that this has to go through a process, because it's going through reconciliation, and that's all it was a reflection of: an explanation of the process, not a reflection of his commitment to raising the minimum wage.

Q    But Senator Sanders has said that he's assembling a team of aides to make the argument to the parliamentarian though.  How aware or involved is the White House in that process of the argument that's -- will go before the parliamentarian?

MS. PSAKI:  We’re certainly aware that Senator Sanders is doing -- is taking that process and has hired a number of, I think -- or working with, I should say, a number of very qualified and experienced people to work through the parliamentary process.  We’re kept abreast of it.  I wouldn't say we're involved in it directly. 

Q    And is he -- as he prepares his arguments, is he keeping the White House abreast of how likely he thinks they are to pass, et cetera?  

MS. PSAKI:  Yeah, we're in regular touch with Senator Sanders and his team, and many other senators and members on the bill, and certainly on this issue as well.

Q    Does the White House have plans to mark 500,000 dead from the coronavirus?  Do you know how you guys would mark that occasion?

MS. PSAKI:  We are -- we are looking for ways to mark that moment and ensure that, you know, the American people -- that the President uses his own voice and platform to take a moment to remember the people whose lives have been lost, the families who are still suffering, you know, at what is still a very difficult moment in this country.  I don't have additional details yet, but we hope to have them in the coming days. 

Q    Does the President have any specific policy announcements that he's going to be making at the Pfizer factory?  Or is it mostly just a “rally the troops” sort of event to highlight the use of the DPA? 

MS. PSAKI:  You know, he wanted to visit a factory that is not only an important employer in Michigan, but also one that is producing a large swath of the Pfizer vaccines that are going out to the American public and see it in action.  So that’s why we're going.

Q    And has the President been involved in any of the discussions with manufacturers or shippers with these winter weather delays of these vaccines, or has he left it all to his COVID team?

MS. PSAKI:  It's really been handled primarily by the COVID team.  I know there was a COVID briefing update earlier today.  Did you all have the opportunity to listen to that?

Q    (Inaudible.)

MS. PSAKI:  I mean, basically -- excuse me -- what they talked about was our efforts underway to -- of course, we can't control Mother Nature, but to take steps working with USPS, FedEx, and others to get the backlog of vaccined -- vaccines out next week, and that we anticipate you can not only get the backlog out, but we can stay on pace with what we had been planning to distribute to states already for next week. 

So we're expecting we're going to be able to catch up next week, and we've been working with, of course, a number of shippers, but also working directly with different jurisdictions on their preference for when they want the deliveries to happen, because as we all know, there are certain temperature requirements with some of the vaccines.  So that's -- that's what they gave an update on this morning.

Q    You were saying -- you said you expect the shipments to be back to normal next week?  

MS. PSAKI:  Yeah.

Q    Let me just clarify.

MS. PSAKI:  And to catch up.

Q    Okay.  And when is the administration releasing the report on the death of Jamal Khashoggi?  Is that coming next week?

MS. PSAKI:  I don't have an update on that.  We are -- we remain committed, of course, to working to release the unclassified report, but I don't have an update on the timeline.

Q    When it's released, will there be a briefing by the DNI on it?  Should we expect that?

MS. PSAKI:  That's a good question.  I'm happy to talk to the intel team and see what they're planning to do at the point when it's released.  I don't know.

Q    Have you talked to the President at all about how Senator Cruz has been handling the situation in Texas and, sort of, the backlash around his travel to Mexico and back?

MS. PSAKI:  I can assure you that with millions of people in Texas still suffering, we're not spending any time, energy, or breath analyzing Senator Cruz's whereabouts or his -- or his group chat.

Q    On the chip front, I know that there's an executive order coming on supply chain that's going to call for reviews.  Is there anything more concrete in the short term?  I mean, there was reporting on a letter that was sent out to Taiwan.  I know there's been contact with some of the chipmakers.  But, you know, would the administration consider invoking the DPA for the chips, or is there something else more concrete?

MS. PSAKI:  I expect we will have more on that soon.  It will be a big day for you and others who are very excited about this issue, as are we.  You know, there was reporting on a letter.  I can confirm there was a letter from the NEC Director, Brian Deese.  We have been doing a range of outreach to international folks in the international community about this issue as we work to address the shortage.  We've also been working directly -- our economic and national security teams have been engaged directly with manufacturers, as you've said.  

So that's really the work that's underway, but I can assure you, we'll have more to update you on, on the executive order, soon.  Not today, but soon.

Q    The President talked about wanting to engage in the -- in the Afghanistan peace process.  Is the President open to meeting or speaking directly with Taliban leaders himself, personally?  That was something, obviously, the last administration looked at with that potential Camp David summit, even.  Is that something -- would the President keep the door open to that sort of direct engagement with the Taliban?

MS. PSAKI:  You know, I have seen those reports.  Obviously, as you know, there's an ongoing peace process.  I have not spoken with the President directly or with Secretary Blinken or Jake Sullivan about our intentions on direct engagement and what level.

Q    Would he invite them to Camp David?

MS. PSAKI:  I think that I have the same answer to that question.  I think we're -- right now, there's an ongoing peace process, as you know.  You obviously follow it and track it closely.  But I don't have anything -- any other updates or previews for you on additional levels of engagement.

Q    But would he be open to it, or is that not something he would consider?

MS. PSAKI:  I think that's getting way ahead of where we are in any process.

Q    Going back to Iran for a second: When the President spoke with the Israeli Prime Minister, I think -- I don't remember what day it was, excuse me -- did he make him aware of this change in policy regarding the JCPOA? 

MS. PSAKI:  I don't -- obviously, this is a topic of interest to Prime Minister Netanyahu and certainly one that, you know, even as there -- if there are discussions moving forward, they'd be a key partner in the region to keep to be kept abreast of.  But I don't have anything more to read out from the call. 

Q    Any plans to fly somewhere warm in the coming weeks?

MS. PSAKI:  I was just saying that this morning in the car.  There must be some people in a warm state who want to see the President.  (Laughter.)  I will raise that.

Q    When it warms up in Texas, any plans there?  I know the President addressed this, but any firmer plans now about a visit?

MS. PSAKI:  You know, we are certainly, as he said this morning, of course, keeping the option open.  As you all know from traveling with presidents in the past, it is a significant footprint for a president to travel to a state, especially a state that is still recovering from a disaster.  So we are taking all of that under consideration before we make specific plans.

Q    Is he disappointed that Johnson & Johnson, if they're authorized -- their vaccine -- that they're going to have fewer doses available?  Is he disappointed by that?

MS. PSAKI:  Well, the FDA has not even approved Johnson & Johnson yet.  We have ordered enough Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to vaccinate the entire public, so that's where our focus is on. We'll see as it moves through the process.

Q    What was the mood in that G7 meeting this morning?  Was he -- I mean, what was his mood?  Was he happy to be back in the (inaudible) game, if you will, since it was his major first engagement?

MS. PSAKI:  You know, I would say that foreign policy is one of his -- his loves.  And working with the global community and engaging on these issues that he's been working on throughout his career is something that he's eager to continue to be very involved in, which naturally he would be as President.  

But I think he was -- he is looking forward to retaking America's seat at the global table and rebuilding trust with our partners and allies around the world.  And while he's had a number of individual calls with his counterparts around the world, this was an important opportunity to take a step forward in doing exactly that.

Q    Is he planning to go to the G7 in person?  What are the discussions about that?  Informal?

MS. PSAKI:  That’s in June.  I think it's too far away at this point to make an assessment of whether we'll be traveling internationally yet.

Q    Can I ask -- you know, putting it on the record, because we got it from the last administration that there was an invitation for Russia to join the G7.  Does that invitation still stand?

MS. PSAKI:  An invitation from the United States to join the --

Q    For Russia to join the G7.

MS. PSAKI:  I don’t think we're making new invitations to Russia or reiterating new invitations to Russia.  Obviously, an invitation would be done in partnership with our G7 partners.

Q    Thanks, Jen.

MS. PSAKI:  All right.  See you guys on the ground.


1:20 P.M. EST

February 19, 2021 Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials

 

The White House Logo
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2021
 
Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
Via Teleconference 
11:48 A.M. EST

ACTING ADMINISTRATOR SLAVITT:  Good morning.  Thank you for joining our COVID-19 Response briefing.  First, I want to start by saying that our hearts go out to the people in Texas, Louisiana, and across the country who have been impacted by the severe weather this week.  

Now, I want to give an update on how severe weather across the country has impacted vaccine deliveries and administration, and how we intend to catch up.  As of now, we have a backlog of about 6 million doses due to the weather.  All 50 states have been impacted.  The 6 million doses represents about three days of delayed shipping, and many states have been able to cover some of this delay with existing inventory.  

So let me first walk you through the situation and then tell you how we, as an entire nation, will have to pull together to get back on track.  There are three places along the distribution chain that have been impacted by the weather.  First, FedEx, UPS, and McKesson -- our logistics and distribution teams -- have all faced challenges as workers have been snowed in and unable to get to work to package and ship the vaccines, kits, and the required diluent. 

Second, road closures have held up delivery of vaccines at different points in the distribution process, between manufacturing sites to distribution, and to shipping hubs.

Third, more than 2,000 vaccine sites are located in areas with power outages, so they're currently unable to receive doses. General Perna’s guidance to the team was to ensure safety of personnel, preservation of the vaccines and supplies, and constant communication with the states.  Because of 72-hour cold chain constraints, we don't want to ship doses to those locations and have them sitting at a site where they might expire.  So the vaccines are sitting safe and sound in our factories and hubs, ready to be shipped out as soon as the weather allows.  

Now, as weather conditions improve, we're already working to clear this backlog.  1.4 million doses are already in transit today, and we anticipate that all the backlog doses will be delivered within the next week, with most being delivered within the next several days.  And we expect we will be able to manage both this backlog and the new production coming online next week. 

With everybody's hard work and collective effort, we will be able to catch up, but we understand this will mean asking more of people.  UPS and FedEx both will support Saturday deliveries tomorrow.  We are working with the jurisdictions to see which ones are able to take Saturday deliveries.  The packaging plant for Moderna vaccines is just now coming online.  Roads are being cleared for the workforce to leave their homes.  They're working today through Sunday to package the backlogged orders, and will put the vaccines and ancillary supplies on aircraft on Sunday night for Monday-through-Wednesday delivery. 

As we get back on track, we're asking states, sites, and ventilate -- and vaccinators to help us catch up and to get Americans vaccinated.  We know many Americans are awaiting their second dose, and many more, their first dose.  We're asking vaccine administration sites to extend their hours even further and offer additional appointments, and to try to reschedule the vaccinations over the coming days and weeks as significantly more supply arrives.  States and vaccination sites are going to want to be prepared for the additional volume. 

Whatever reduction we see in our seven-day average this week in vaccinations from the weather, if we all work together -- from the factory, all the way to the vaccinators -- we will make up for it in the coming week.  

I want to personally thank the men and women who have continued to keep our operations up and running throughout this storm and have been working 24 by 7 with the states, and with local vaccination sites.  And my thoughts remain with all of those impacted. 

I'll be happy to answer any questions about this topic. But before we turn it over to Dr. Walensky and Dr. Fauci, I do want to briefly touch on our work to stand up more federally run sites.  Even as we manage the weather, on the one hand, we are pushing ahead with plans to get more vaccines to more places to get more Americans vaccinated. 

Today, I'm pleased to announce we'll be opening five additional vaccination centers: one in Pennsylvania and four in Florida.  In Florida, we will stand up four major new community vaccination centers, in partnerships with the state, in Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville, and Tampa.  These sites will have the capacity to vaccinate a total of 12,000 individuals per day in total.

In Pennsylvania, we're announcing a major new community vaccination center at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.  This site will have the capacity to deliver 6,000 doses per day.

Selection of all of these sites is based on a CDC-FEMA framework that has been developed to target vaccinations to those who are most vulnerable.  The goal is to launch vaccination sites that use processes and are in locations that promote equity and deploy the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index.

The federal government will be deploying teams immediately to work hand in hand with state and local jurisdictions to get these sites set up, and we expect both -- we expect them all to be up and running in the next two weeks. 

So that's a brief status from the White House COVID Response Team here.  We'll have more announcements to come next week.  

Now, with that, I will turn it over to Dr. Walensky to overview a state of the pandemic and public health.  

Dr. Walensky.

DR. WALENSKY:  Thank you so much.  I'm delighted to be back with you today.  

I have new information to share from CDC regarding ongoing safety monitoring of the COVID-19 vaccines.  But before I go into those findings, I want to provide a brief overview of the latest data on the pandemic.  

We continue to see a five-week decline in COVID cases, with cases decreasing 69 percent in the seven-day average since hitting a peak on January 11th.  The current seven-day average of approximately 77,000 cases is the lowest recorded since the end of October but still higher than the height of last summer's peak.

Like new COVID-19 cases, the number of new hospital admissions continues to drop.  The seven-day average of new admissions on February 16th, approximately 7,200, represents a 56 percent decline since the January 9th peak. 

As I reported on Wednesday, the number of deaths continues to fluctuate.  The latest data indicate that deaths have declined modestly in the past week to an average of approximately 2,700 per day.  These numbers are a stark reminder of the thousands of lives lost to this pandemic.  

Another reminder of the devastating impact of the pandemic has had on our country was brought into clear view yesterday in a report released by the CDC on the provisional life expectancy in the first half of 2020.  The report found that life expectancy was at its lowest level in 15 years, dropping by a full year compared to the life expectancy in 2019.  This represents a substantial decline in life expectancy in our nation.  

Importantly, like the populations most heavily affected by this pandemic, the declines in life expectancy were again most pronounced in certain racial and ethnic minority groups.  The largest declines in life expectancy occurred in non-Hispanic black persons, dropping 2.7 years -- levels not seen since 2001.  And Hispanic persons had lost the second largest life expectancy, dropping 1.9 years.  

These findings, though not surprising, are sobering and representative of the continued need to take this pandemic, and actions to stop the spread of COVID-19, seriously.  

Now more than ever, with continued spread of variants that stand to threaten the progress we are making, we must recommit to doing our part to protect one another: wear a well-fitting mask, social distant, avoid travel and crowds, practice good hand hygiene, and get vaccinated when the vaccine is available to you.  

I also want to spend a moment talking about vaccine safety.  To date, more than 41 million people in the United States have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, but we continue to hear that people might be reluctant to roll up their sleeve because they are worried about adverse effects.  

I will reiterate: The CDC is committed to monitoring vaccine safety and frequently reporting on what we know.  Today, CDC is releasing a study in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that describes findings from our COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring in the United States from December 14th through January 13th, 2021.  

During the first month of vaccinations, approximately 1.6 million people enrolled in V-safe, CDC's new phone-based COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring system.  Among those enrolled, 71 percent reported pain where the shot was given, 34 percent reported fatigue, and 30 percent reported a headache.  These are common with most vaccines, and they typically resolve within a day or two of vaccination. 

It's important to know that about half the people don't feel very well after getting their second dose.  This should not deter you from getting your second dose, but you need to have a light day of activity after getting vaccinated.  

There were also rare reports of severe allergic reactions like anaphylaxis, a serious but treatable reaction.  In fact, there were 4.5 cases of anaphylaxis per 1 million doses given during this time -- a rate similar to what we've seen in other commonly used vaccines.  

In the first month of experience, a total of 113 deaths were reported of which approximately 65 percent were among long-term care facility residents.  A thorough review of the available data indicated that these deaths were not related to the COVID-19 vaccine.  And the death rate in this population, though truly sad and unfortunate, was consistent with the expected background death rate in this demographic. 

I want to emphasize that we've implemented the most comprehensive vaccine safety monitoring system program in our history, and the data released from the CDC today are reflective of this effort.  We will continue to closely monitor these events and report back as further data emerge. 

I want to be sure that you know the facts and not the myths about the vaccine safety -- about vaccine safety.  The fact is they are safe and they will save lives.  And that is why we are committed to working with state and local public health partners, as well as partners in the private sector, to support getting people vaccinated and quickly and as safely as possible.

To help advance our collective efforts to scale up vaccines in communities, on Monday, CDC is convening a three-day virtual National Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine.  The forum will bring together a broad range of governmental and non-governmental partners to share information and best practices on how to build trust and confidence in COVID-19 vaccines; how to use data to optimize vaccine implementation; and how to provide practical, real-world experience on how to increase vaccination capacity in communities, especially for those at increased risk of COVID-19 and for those who may face barriers to vaccination.  

I'm excited about this forum and the rich dialogue it will stimulate.  And I invite those who are involved in vaccine efforts to register and attend this important meeting.  Thank you.  As always, I look forward to your questions.  But before that, I'll turn it over to Dr. Fauci.

Dr. Fauci.

DR. FAUCI:  Thank you very much, Dr. Walensky.  What I'd like to do is to just take a couple of minutes, very briefly, reviewing the status of the vaccines and vaccine trials that we have, but then to, as I've done in the past, pick out a question that I believe is being asked more frequently to try and preemptively address it and perhaps generate some discussion.

With regard to the trials that we have: As you know, the U.S. government had been involved in the development of and/or facilitation of the testing of three separate platforms represented by six different companies.  You're all aware of the data of the Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech, which have their EUA now, having shown a 94 to 95 percent efficacy.

Right now, as we speak, the data from the Johnson study -- which, as you know, showed a 72 percent efficacy in the United States, but was also done in South Africa and Latin America and showed a diminished efficacy against the variant, but very good against severe disease -- that is being reviewed at the FDA for the U.S. data.  And on February the 26th, the FDA will consult with their independent Advisory Committee, their VRBPAC, and we should be hearing from them soon.  

With regard to the AstraZeneca and the Novavax, those trials are both fully enrolled.  These are event-driven decisions, so when they reach a certain amount of events, they will then look at the data and make decisions as to whether or not to go ahead with a request for an EUA.  

So, having said that, let me just now, very briefly, address a question that is a very relevant question that we are now more commonly being asked: If you look at the existing trials -- those that have already gotten an EUA, and those that we anticipate and hope will get and EUA -- when will we be able to say we can vaccinate children -- children in the high school range and children in the elementary school range?  

You know from Pfizer that they started off with the trial of 44,000 individuals, down to 16-year-olds and then progressed it down to 12-year-olds.  So what they're going to be doing in April -- starting in April, they are going to be studying 12-year-olds down to five- to six-year-old.  That will take likely one year to get the information on that -- likely not until the first quarter.  

However, we anticipate data on high-school-age individuals, namely individuals 12 years old to 17 years old, by the beginning of the fall.  Maybe not exactly coinciding with the first day of school, but sometime in the fall, we will have that.  Moderna, as you know, started off with already 18-year-old.  They are now currently enrolling 12- to 17-year-olds.  

So let me take a moment to explain the process of how you get relevant information regarding these younger individuals.  This is a representative trial, which very likely will reflect other trials.  It's a 3,000-person trial.  So, right off, you're not dealing with the 30,000- and 44,000-person trial that gave the efficacy signal in the original Moderna and Pfizer study.  

What the trial is, is the trial is what's called a "non-inferiority by immunogenicity," which is a lot of big words to really mean what they're asking: Is it safe in the children, and does it induce an immune response that's comparable or not inferior to the immune response that we know is associated with efficacy in the other trials?  And that's the way that trial will go. 

And then, we're starting, by the end of March, they will do what's called an “age de-escalation study.” We're already enrolling on the 12 to 17.  They will go to the 6 to 12, then 2 to 6, then 6 months to 2 years. Again, we will likely get information for high schoolers at some time in the fall, but it is, I would say, more than unlikely we will not have data on elementary school children until at least the first quarter of 2022.  

Similar types of approaches are being taken by the other candidates, the other companies, namely J&J, Novavax, and AZ.  

So, the bottom line of all of this is as follows: It is highly likely that sometime in the fall, we will have data that will give us the capability of saying the safety and comparable efficacy in children 12 to 17, 18 years old.  Again, the final decisions we always leave to the FDA.  I'm trying to give you a roadmap of what likely will happen.  But then also, with the studies that I just mentioned, to getting the information to make the decision in elementary school children almost certainly will not be firmed down until the first quarter of 2022.  

I will stop there and hand it back to Andy. 

ACTING ADMINISTRATOR SLAVITT:  Thank you, Dr. Fauci. 

Okay, we can take some questions.

MODERATOR:  All right.  First up, we will have Jonathan Cohn, Huffington Post.

Q    Thanks for taking the question.  I have a question about the federal mass vaccination sites and how you're deciding where to do them and setting them up.  How much of this is states coming to you and saying, "Okay, you know, we need help with this place or that place.  Can you come in and set up a FEMA site?"  How much is this you going to the states and saying, "Hey, it looks like you need some help here, or we see that, you know, the progress -- you know, you're not hitting enough of the underserved communities, so we think you -- we want to do a site here"?  

And, in general, has there been a, kind of, overall 50-state assessment of how the states are doing at distribution and where they need help?  Have you done something like that -- some kind of comprehensive look?

ACTING ADMINISTRATOR SLAVITT:  Yeah, thanks, Jonathan.  And I may ask Dr. Walensky to come in, in a second, on how the CDC thinks about the Social Vulnerability Index in places where we'd like to target.

What I would reflect for you, Jonathan, is we have a very healthy ongoing dialogue with multiple participants in a state every week, and there is a good give and take.

We are obviously looking for two things as we select these sites.  The first is, how can we get more people vaccinated more quickly.  And the second is, how can we get more people vaccinated more equitably.  Those are the -- those are really the two most important criteria.  And so having these conversations, these dialogues go back and forth, we -- you know, to -- you know, as an illustration, we may have a governor who says, "We're very interested in this."  And then, when we work with the CDC and with FEMA, we may say, "If we do something in this state, this is the location that we think works best and makes sense."  And then we'll have a back and forth.  So, it's very collaborative.  It's very positive. 

Dr. Walensky, anything you want to add more specifically? 

DR. WALENSKY:  I don't have a whole lot to add to that, except to say that, really, it is a collaborative. We are doing outreach and we are actually receiving -- we're trying to incorporate what states' specific needs are.  We do look specifically at the Social Vulnerability Index of where these sites might go, also the population size so we can understand exactly what the needs are in those specific sites.  

So, it's a deep collaboration, and it looks both at Social Vulnerability Index, the outreach that's needed, whether there's, you know, the size, as well as what mobile units might be needed as well.

ACTING ADMINISTRATION SLAVITT:  Yeah, Jonathan, federal-state partnership to us is the key and is the approach.  And we view ourselves, hopefully, as good partners to the states.  And if they -- if they bring us challenges, our goal is to help them solve them, not to reward or punish, as I think has been a prior philosophy. 

Let's go to the next question.

MODERATOR:  Next, we'll go to Cheyenne Haslett at ABC News.

Q    Hi, thanks for doing this.  Thanks.  On school openings, my question is about 75 percent of schools that are currently located in the red zones, which the CDC guidelines recommend be hybrid or virtual. So, I'm wondering how, in April, just about two months from now, the President intends to make good on that promise of full-time in-person schooling. 

ACTING ADMINISTRATOR SLAVITT:  Well, thanks for that question.  And I think that that question actually allows us to clarify a few things, and I want to turn to Dr. Walensky to do that.

DR. WALENSKY:  Yeah, thank you for that question.  The first thing I just want to convey is there are opportunities for in-person learning at all stages -- all states of community spread.  

As we've seen community spread coming down and as we've seen our numbers improving right now, what I would invite the schools to do -- we have actually seen many more communities leave the red zone and move into the orange zone, which actually has more opportunities for in-school opening and for in-person learning.  So, our numbers are coming down, and I would actually invite schools to lean in and to look at what is needed so that -- in the roadmap, to try and get more and more children back to school. 

ACTING ADMINISTRATOR SLAVITT:  And I want to just clarify something you said because it's so important, Dr. Walensky.  Is it possible, if you are in the red zone, even if things are improving, is it possible to open schools under the CDC’s guidance? 

DR. WALENSKY:  Absolutely.  So, in the areas that remain red -- and there are about two thirds of districts now, although the numbers continue to climb -- in the numbers that remain red, we say, with universal masking and physical distancing and de-densification of classrooms, there are opportunities for in-person learning, as well as for middle and high school learning, and assuming you're able to do the de-densification that we suggest.

ACTING ADMINISTRATOR SLAVITT:  Great.  And I think that's a really important clarification. 

Next question, please.

MODERATOR:  Next, we'll go to Brenda Goodman at WebMD.

Q    Hi.  I have a question about dosing.  There have been several studies published in the last couple of days -- the dosing of the vaccines, that is -- that have suggested that just a single dose of the vaccine might be highly effective after about three -- two or three weeks.  And I wondered if that had shifted, Dr. Fauci -- if it had convinced you that just a single dose of the mRNA vaccines might end up being effective.

DR. FAUCI:  Well, if you're referring to the mRNA vaccine, you're probably referring to a recent Israeli study that looked at the mRNA, because the extension of the time in a single dose with AZ has also been discussed.  But let me refer and just answer directly your question with the mRNA. 

We always look at data very carefully and very seriously, and we evaluate it as it evolves.  But if you look at the data from the particular study, and then go back and look at why we wound up with a prime and a boost -- and for Moderna, as you know, that's 28 days, and for Pfizer, it's 21 days.  And the reason is, even though you can get a fair degree of, quote, "protection" after a single dose, it clearly is not durable. We know that.  The durability is not as much as the durability that you would get with the boost. 

Secondly, if you look at the difference between the degree -- the intensity of the response after a first dose and compare it to that of the second dose, the second dose is 10 times higher in the sense of level of neutralizing antibodies, which is one of the parameters of immunity. 

So, again, although the numbers of a single dose do look interesting, the one thing we don't know is how durable it is. And since it's 10 times less than the optimal dose that you would get, you have to look at it from two standpoints.  You remember we discussed, on one of these press briefings before, that the reason why you look clinically and see that, despite the fact that there is a maybe five- to six-fold diminution in the impact of the antibodies that are induced by the mRNA candidates, it still is within the range of protection.  

The reason for that is that the response following the boost was so high that even though you diminished the efficacy down to about 50 percent, you still had rather good efficacy against severe disease.  So it's a variant issue to protect against variant.  

The other issue that we need to take into consideration is if you do have a less than optimal -- even though with numbers they look reasonably good -- but not as good as the optimal response, what could happen theoretically is that because of the immunological pressure that you see on the virus, you might actually, theoretically, be inducing more variants.  So there are a few scientific reasons why we feel, given the information we have right now, we will stick with the scientifically documented efficacy and optimal response of a prime, followed by a boost, with the mRNA. 

ACTING ADMINISTRATOR SLAVITT:  Dr. Fauci, just a couple of additional clarifications.  You said something here which is important for, I think, the public to understand.  If we do see more of the variant present in this country, do you feel better with people having two doses of these mRNA vaccine or one?

DR. FAUCI:  Oh, there's no doubt, Andy.  Thank you for the question.  I alluded to it, but thank you for giving me the opportunity to repeat it.  There's no doubt about that, that you have an optimal response. When you're dealing with variants, you want enough of a height of a response that even if you diminish it, you don't diminish it so much to get out of the realm of protection, number one.  

Number two, if you do have a less-than-optimum response, you could theoretically and inadvertently be selecting immunologically for variants. 

ACTING ADMINISTRATOR SLAVITT:  Thank you.  So just a couple of things to emphasize here.  One is, we want the public not to be confused: The recommendation from the FDA is two doses, just as it always has been. 

Number two -- and I think this is a, sort of, more macro point, and I invite either Dr. Fauci or Dr. Walensky to comment here -- there are studies all the time.  There are preprints all the time.  There are -- real-world evidence comes out all the time.  And it will continue to happen.  

The people at the FDA, led by Peter Marks, people like Dr. Fauci, people like Dr. Walensky, love looking at this data, love looking at these studies.  But it's also important to understand that -- that one study, even though it may look attractive, if it’s in the public domain and may capture a headline, isn't always what it appears to be and it is only one study.  So I think we've got the best people in the world looking at this.  I feel very confident.  And they'll look aggressively at these studies.  But I think it's important that people understand that we're not going to be persuaded by one study that happens to grab headlines. We, here at the White House, will, of course, listen to whatever the scientists have to say and adjust accordingly.  

But any -- anything you would want to add to that, Doctors Walensky or Fauci?

DR. FAUCI:  Yeah, Andy, you know, thank you for bringing that up.  And with regard to the specific study -- and again, I'm not criticizing this study, because it's an interesting study and we really do want to follow up on this.  But in -- again, this is a study that we were made aware of by press release, so it wasn't something that we had the opportunity to look at all the data yet.  

But it's very interesting that it says here at the end: “The results might differ from others…” -- getting to the point that Andy made: there are many studies -- “The results might differ from others because the subjects were largely younger and healthier,” said one of the authors.  

She also said, “The study couldn't confirm how long the protection from one shot would last as most of the subjects received a second shot.”  So the points that I made in my explanation to the person who questioned is actually admitted to by one of the authors.  

Thank you.  

ACTING ADMINISTRATOR SLAVITT:  Thank you.  Next question, please. 

MODERATOR:  All right, we have time for one more question.  Last, we’ll go to Yamiche Alcindor of PBS. 

Q    Hi, thanks so much for taking my question.  I have two questions.  The first is: A lack of pharmacies and hospitals, providers, and transportation has emerged as a significant concern in the communities hardest hit by the virus.  What’s the plan and the timeline for getting more vaccination sites for areas with inadequate health infrastructure?  Have you -- and has the government found that that's a problem -- an increasing problem when looking at vaccine distribution?

And the second question I have is on life expectancy.  I'm wondering how lasting this change in life expectancy is.  Do we expect it to bounce back?  Will it go to -- or -- and what will it take, if at all, for it to go back up?

ACTING ADMINISTRATOR SLAVITT:  Well, let me take the first question.  And, Dr. Walensky, you can get us the second question on life expectancy.

There are a number of issues that you point out that are access barriers, including transportation, including the clinical infrastructure, and then, including -- I think it's important to point out -- that even when there is a local availability of vaccines, people from outside of these communities -- outside of the hard-hit communities -- come in, make appointments, and often take some of those doses, which, you know, we shouldn't be surprised about -- it happens in a shortage -- but we have to act on it because we are purposely setting up both sites that are located conveniently in these communities.  

There will be a series of announcements over the next -- call it, a week to 10 days -- about some major things that we're doing about transportation, about appointment reservations, and ensuring that that those appointments are kept.  Certainly, bringing mobile vans into the communities, bringing Federally Qualified Health Centers, which are ideally located into communities.  And then -- and then assuring that we have all of the things that end up becoming barriers, which are the hours people are open, the ability to get there and back, and some of the other things that are getting in the way.  

So I can tell you that we are working these in detail, along with the states, along with local communities. They are -- I think it's safe to say that if you don't do the things, you naturally end up with the people who are getting hit hardest by the virus also getting the least access to the vaccine.  

There are some success stories.  I think it's too early to report that we have figured this out.  I think it's a constant battle, to be honest.

Dr. Walensky, anything you want to either add to that?  And, of course, the life expectancy question.  

DR. WALENSKY:  Great.  Maybe I'll just move to the life expectancy question.  I agree with you entirely, Andy.

You know, the report from CDC really only reported the life expectancy loss from January to June, the first half of 2020.  Quite unfortunately, I think we're going to see, again, a decrease in life expectancy once we start looking at the entire year, because we do know that the hardest-hit demographic and highest mortality rates have been in the older populations.  

I think we're going to have a lot of work to do in this country over the years ahead to try and make up the losses that we've seen with this pandemic.  And that is going to be including an investment in our public health infrastructure and improving the health of the entire nation, and especially in improving the health of the ethnic and racial minorities that took the hardest hit.

ACTING ADMINISTRATOR SLAVITT:  Thank you, Dr. Walensky.  I want to finish where we started, which is to thank everybody who is going to be working over this weekend to catch up from the weather-related events; to thank our partners in states and local vaccinators for extending their hours and increasing the access to folks to get their vaccines; and to assure people that if their vaccine, because of the weather, has been -- their second shot has been delayed for a short period of time, it is not a problem; that will be accommodated completely.  

Thank you all, and I hope everybody has a nice weekend.

12:26 P.M. EST