Retired doctors and more syringes: Biden lays out plan to get America vaccinated

Retired doctors and more syringes: Biden lays out plan to get America vaccinated U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Friday said he would order increased production of syringes and other supplies to ramp up vaccinations against COVID-19 and improve upon the Trump administration rollout that he called a "dismal failure." Trevor Hunnicutt U.S.

WILMINGTON, Del. (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Friday said he would order increased production of syringes and other supplies to ramp up vaccinations against COVID-19 and improve upon the Trump administration rollout that he called a “dismal failure.”

Under Biden’s plan, federal disaster-relief workers would set up thousands of vaccination centers, where retired doctors would administer shots to teachers, grocery store workers, people over 65 years old and other groups who do not currently qualify.

The Democrat would invoke the Defense Production Act to increase production of equipment needed to distribute the vaccines, such as glass vials, needles and syringes, according to a document released by his transition team. He would also use the law to support vaccine refrigeration and storage.

Biden said his team has identified companies that are ready to be activated under the law, which enables the president to order businesses to produce items necessary for national defense.

States that use their National Guard in the effort would be reimbursed by the federal government, the transition team said.

The coronavirus has killed more than 390,000 people in the United States, and a top Biden adviser said on Friday the death tally could reach 500,000 by February....

Biden called for increasing vaccine distribution in lower-income neighborhoods not currently well served by hospitals and pharmacies. Biden also plans a marketing campaign to encourage those skeptical of the vaccine to get inoculated.

His transition team said he will reorganize the vaccine distribution team currently called “Operation Warp Speed” and has asked former Food and Drug Administration chief David Kessler to work with manufacturers to boost vaccine availability. ...

He said he will order the Federal Emergency Management Agency to set up 100 vaccine centers within a month, which he said would ultimately serve millions of people. Neighborhood pharmacies would also be enlisted as vaccination sites, he said.

Even with these changes, Biden said it will take time for the United States to beat back the virus. “The honest truth is this: things will get worse before they get better,” he said. ...