How Biden plans to fight the pandemic: 100 million shots, large-scale vaccination sites, and the reopening of K-8 schools

Aria BendixJan 21, 2021, 06:54 IST

Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts.Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP

President Joe Biden issued three coronavirus-related executive orders on his first day in office.
The orders aim to increase mask wearing, accelerate vaccine distribution, and restore the US relationship with the World Health Organization.
In the next 100 days, Biden plans to reopen the majority of K-8 schools and administer 100 million coronavirus shots.

President Joe Biden took office Wednesday amid a deadly peak in the US coronavirus outbreak. Nearly 3,000 people are dying of COVID-19 every day, on average. At that rate, an estimated 42 Americans died of COVID-19 during Biden's 21-minute inauguration speech alone.

The president plans to take immediate action to vaccinate more Americans, reduce coronavirus transmission, and safely reopen schools and businesses.

"We're entering what may be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus," he said in his inauguration speech. "We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation."

Among the 17 executive actions Biden took on Wednesday, three are directly related to the pandemic. Here's what to expect in the coming days, based on the president's long- and short-term goals to bring the nation closer to normal life.

Day 1: Biden issued a mandate that everyone must wear masks on federal property nationwide, and instituted a "100 Days Masking Challenge" for all Americans.

Joe Biden holds up a mask at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware, on October 28, 2020. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Day 1: Biden appointed a new COVID-19 response team.

Jeffrey Zients served several high profile roles during the Obama Administration. Ken Cedeno/Corbis via Getty Images

Day 1: Stop the US exit from the World Health Organization.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks with WHO Health Emergencies Program Director Michael Ryan during a briefing at the WHO headquarters in Geneva on March 6, 2020. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

First Month: Get 100 federally supported vaccination centers up and running.

Emily Alexander, 37, shows her COVID-19 vaccination card shortly after getting the vaccine in the parking lot of the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on January 11, 2021. Terry Tang/AP Photo

First 100 Days: Allocate $1.9 trillion for coronavirus relief.

Airline industry workers hold signs during a protest in Federal Plaza in Chicago, Illinois, on September 9, 2020. KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images

First 100 days: Get 100 million coronavirus shots into arms.

Pharmacy director Gayle Butler prepares the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at St. John's Well Child & Family Center in Los Angeles, California, on January 7, 2021. Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

First 100 Days: Reopen the majority of K-8 schools.

A student at Rippowam Middle School on September 14, 2020 in Stamford, Connecticut. John Moore/Getty Images

US states where it's easiest, and most difficult, to get a coronavirus shot

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