President Joe Biden proposed a new tax deduction on Wednesday to repay small companies that provide compensated time off to employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as part of his target of administering 200 million shots in his first 100 days. Businesses with less than 500 workers will be eligible for the tax credit, funded by the COVID-19 stimulus bill passed last month.
US surpassed distributing 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses
Every employee will receive up to $511 a day. Biden called for all businesses to promote workers to get vaccinated, regardless of scale, to have compensated days off and other benefits, such as gift cards or bonuses.
As the U.S. approaches Joe Biden's target of 200 million COVID-19 vaccines administered this week, vaccine availability is beginning to outstrip demand in specific locations. Despite the lack of availability of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, which is currently undergoing a safety investigation, the U.S. has been shipping out more doses than used in recent weeks, according to a senior administration official.
An NBC News tracker indicated that the U.S. had administered 199,426,628 as of April 21, way ahead of schedule with eight days left to meet his target for the first 100 days. Biden stated that the country is entering a new period of its vaccination activities. It begins to turn its attention away from the general public and toward those most at risk.
"Now is the time to launch a new phase of this historic vaccine program. Simply put, if you've been waiting for your turn, don't wait longer. All above the age of 16 should get vaccinated," Joe Biden said.
Although some people resist receiving the COVID-19 vaccine because of safety issues, others feel less pressured about getting vaccinated since they are younger and need an easier procedure with fewer barriers and some support, the administration official said. The paid time off campaign is directed at solving those issues, as per NBC News via MSN.
"No working American should miss a single dollar because they want to serve their patriotic obligation by getting vaccinated," Joe Biden said. He said he is considering exporting some of the doses to other nations, such as Central America and Canada, until he is sure there is enough supply to meet demand in the United States. He said he spoke with Canada's prime minister for a half-hour Wednesday about sending more doses there.
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Biden sets his target of 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses
President Joe Biden set a target in December to get 100 million COVID-19 vaccines to Americans by his 100th day in office, which his administration achieved in 58 days, in mid-March. After that, he set a new target for himself: to surpass 200 million shots in arms in his first 100 days in office. According to Biden, the previous administration's vaccine schedule would have taken until September to hit 200 million shots in arms.
The President said it is uncertain how many lives were saved due to the country's accelerated mass vaccine program, but analysts say it is in the tens of thousands, Fox News reported. He observed a "dramatic fall" in COVID-19-related deaths among people over 65, with an overall 80 percent decrease in fatalities.
Biden stated that by Thursday, 80 percent of people over 65 had received at least one vaccine. Still, the full effects would not be felt for another month or so as seniors finish their vaccination regimens and become fully vaccinated.
President Biden set a timetable for states to make COVID-19 vaccine supplies available to all adults in the United States by Monday. The deadline arrived when health officials announced that more than half of adults had already received at least one shot of the vaccine.
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Biden administration halted J&J's COVID-19 vaccines
After seven reports of blood clots, including one fatality out of almost 7 million shots given, the Biden administration abruptly halted delivery of the one-shot COVID-19 vaccine, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson. Former President Donald Trump, whose administration invested billions into research and development, was enraged by Biden's attempt to take credit for vaccine rollout.
When Trump was President, the first two vaccines, from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, were approved. Biden as President has taken a cautious approach to the coronavirus, as per the NY Post.
Despite being vaccinated, he wears double masks regularly. He has encouraged Americans to consider small backyard celebrations for the Fourth of July, prompting Republican mockery due to poor outdoor transmission rates and vaccination effectiveness.
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