Biden signs executive orders on COVID-19 testing, vaccine distribution
On his second day in office, the new US president signed a flurry of orders to establish a national strategy for addressing the pandemic.
Biden signed 10 more executive orders on Thursday.
After reversing the United States' withdrawal from the World Health Organization and issuing a 100-day masking challenge on his first day in office, President Joe Biden focused his second day on outlining his coronavirus response strategy for the US.
"To a nation waiting for action, let me be clear on this point: Help is on the way," Biden said during an event that culminated in the signing of 10 executive orders addressing the ongoing pandemic. The new administration intends to expand testing, administer vaccines, reopen schools and businesses and more, all of which is detailed in a nearly 200-page report (PDF) published on Whitehouse.gov.
We don't have a second to waste when it comes to getting this virus under control. That's why today, I'll be signing executive actions to expand testing, administer vaccines, and safely reopen schools and businesses.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 21, 2021
Biden's team inherited no coronavirus vaccine distribution plan from the Trump administration, CNN reported Thursday, even though the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first vaccine for emergency use in December.