The president-elect once again called on Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of his administration to limit the spread of the virus, describing mask-wearing as a “patriotic act.”
Biden also called for “100 million shots in the first 100 days” of his presidency, pledging to implement an effective strategy for distributing coronavirus vaccines.
And the president-elect said he wanted to open as many schools as possible during his first 100 days, assuming Congress provides the funding to do so.
Biden calls for '100 million shots in first 100 days' of his presidency
During JoeBiden’s event in Wilmington, the president-elect reiterated his call for Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of his administration to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Biden also pledged to implement an effective vaccine distribution plan, calling for “100 million shots in the first 100 days” of his presidency.
'100m shots in 100 days': Biden urges Americans to wear masks as he makes vaccine pledge – video
Biden’s event to introduce his health care team comes as the US coronavirus case count surpasses 15 million.
According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, 15,019,092 Americans have now contracted coronavirus, and 284,887 Americans have died of the virus.
The US has reported more cases of coronavirus than any other country in the world. India is a distant second, having confirmed 9,703,770 cases.
Biden formally introduces team of health care advisers
Joe Biden has taken the podium for his event in Wilmington, Delaware, to formally introduce his team of health care advisers.
Biden announced yesterday that California attorney general Xavier Becerra would be nominated to lead the department of health and human services, a pivotal role amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The president-elect noted today’s event comes near the end of “one of the toughest years we have faced as a nation,” offering condolences to the Americans who have lost loved ones to coronavirus. Nearly 285,000 Americans have now died of coronavirus.
Donald Trump’s reelection campaign is making clear that it will continue to fight to overturn Joe Biden’s victory past today, which is the “safe harbor deadline” for states to certify their results.
“Justice Ginsburg recognized in Bush v. Gore that the date of ‘ultimate significance’ is January 6, when Congress counts and certifies the votes of the Electoral College. The only fixed day in the U.S. Constitution is the inauguration of the President on January 20 at noon,” Rudy Giulaini said in a new statement.
“Despite the media trying desperately to proclaim that the fight is over, we will continue to champion election integrity until legal vote is counted fairly and accurately.”
Giuliani was hospitalized with coronavirus on Sunday, and Jenna Ellis, a legal adviser for the campaign, has reportedly also tested positive for the virus.
As we await the first collective public appearance of the Biden-Harris health leadership team, Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf has warned that the coronavirus is running rampant throughout his state and could soon force overwhelmed hospitals to begin turning away patients.
Wolf calls it a “dangerous, disturbing scenario” that will become reality if people don’t take steps to slow the spread.
He said additional pandemic restrictions might be on the way but did not elaborate on what his administration might be considering while also acknowledging the ones already in place have not worked, The Associated Press reports.
Wolf said the unchecked spread of the virus in all regions of the state means that resource-sharing agreements among hospitals could soon begin to break down and force them to begin rationing care.
Still, the governor all but ruled out a return to the kinds of statewide restrictions he imposed in the spring, when schools were closed, thousands of businesses deemed non-essential were shut down, and all 12.8 million Pennsylvanians were under a stay-at-home order.
A Covid-19 testing site, in Easton, Pennsylvania, earlier this month. Photograph: Matt Smith/REX/Shutterstock
Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis has tested positive for coronavirus, according to multiple reports. The news comes days after Ellis attended a White House Christmas party without wearing a mask, raising concerns about another outbreak among senior staffers.
An FDA analysis of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine raised no safety concerns, lifting hopes that the vaccine could soon become available to American adults.
The attorney general of Texas is suing four battleground states in the US supreme court over their presidential election results. Attorney general Ken Paxton, a Republican, accused Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin of exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to pass last-minute changes to voting laws. Legal experts said there was little to no chance of the supreme court taking up the case.
A former Trump administration official described it as “absolute insanity” that the White House was still hosting Christmas parties with maskless attendees as coronavirus infections surge across the nation.
Former senior admin official texts me: “it’s absolute insanity the White House continues to host holiday parties, with maskless attendees. No one should be surprised Jenna Ellis tested positive after attending a Christmas party.... https://t.co/PYkMAOP6Pj
The former official also predicted that there would be additional outbreaks among White House staffers, after Jenna Ellis reportedly tested positive for the virus days after attending a staff party.
Jenna Ellis, the Trump campaign lawyer who has reportedly tested positive for coronavirus, posted an Instagram photo of herself at the White House Christmas party on Friday.
Senator Doug Jones is the leading contender to become Joe Biden’s attorney general, according to NBC News.
Former deputy attorney general Sally Yates and federal judge Merrick Garland, whose supreme court nomination was blocked by Senate Republicans in 2016, are also still being considered for the job.
Biden has also been considering Appeals Court Judge Merrick Garland, who was denied a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 by a Republican-led Senate, and Sally Yates, a former deputy Attorney General, sources say.
