http://it.usembassy.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-remarks-to-the-press-on-the-covid-response/
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good afternoon.
Since the United States recorded its first COVID-19 death in February 2020, more than 550,000 Americans have died in the pandemic. More than 30 million Americans have been infected. Millions of Americans lost loved ones, often without having the chance to say goodbye.
No one has been immune to the virus. It’s hit people of color especially hard, devastating communities and deepening our country’s racial and economic divides.
And COVID-19’s massive health and death toll has been matched by its economic and social consequences. Restaurants, bars, movie theaters closed, many permanently. Millions of kids stayed home from school, losing precious classroom time. And millions of women dropped out of the workforce to care for children or aging parents.
For all of these reasons, stopping COVID-19 is the Biden-Harris administration’s number one priority. Otherwise, the coronavirus will keep circulating in our communities, threatening people’s lives and livelihoods, holding our economy back. We cannot fully recover – much less build the better future the American people deserve – until the pandemic is over.
From day one, the administration has led a full-court press to get as many Americans vaccinated as fast as possible. President Biden set a goal of 100 million shots in 100 days. We hit that goal by day 58. Now we’re racing toward our new goal of 200 million shots in 100 days. The administration is moving quickly to open new vaccination sites across the country, so that 90 percent of Americans will be living within five miles of one by April 19. That’s two weeks from today.
All the while, we’ve been producing vaccines at a rapid clip. By the end of May, we’ll have enough vaccine supply for all adults in America. And so far, the news about the efficacy of the vaccines has been very reassuring.
The American people can take hope and pride in the fact that we’re making strong progress against the virus at home. It’s a credit to our health workers, our scientists, our government.
Still, we’re not at the finish line yet. We can’t afford to ease up. This is the time for Americans to keep wearing masks and social distancing – and to get vaccinated when it’s your turn. Do it for yourselves, your families, your neighbors, and for the people you might never meet but whose lives you might save through your actions.