Biden urges Americans to 'please take vaccines' as storms hinder inoculation campaign

President Joe Biden has reassured Americans that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and urged them to “please” take the shots, as a historic winter freeze across broad swaths of the United States is causing delays in vaccine shipments and deliveries.

Biden, who has made combatting the coronavirus pandemic his top priority since taking office on January 20, used his visit to a Pfizer factory making COVID-19 vaccines to address Americans skeptical about the medicines.

“The vaccines are safe. Please, for yourself, your family, your community, this country, take the vaccine when it's your turn and it's available. That's how we beat this pandemic,” he said on Friday against a backdrop of Pfizer's manufacturing equipment at the Michigan facility.

The president said that companies manufacturing the vaccines are “fastidious” about the safety of their products. “If there's one message to cut through to everyone in the country, it's this: Vaccines are safe,” he added.

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The Biden administration is trying to speed up its ambitious inoculation campaign to vaccinate most American adults as local governments scramble to get more doses to contain the virus that has killed nearly half a million Americas.

However, the winter storms that have killed at least 21 people and left millions without power in large areas of the country have also shuttered COVID-19 inoculation centers and hindered vaccine distributions.

Biden has set a goal of administering 100 million shots in his administration’s first 100 days, and the freezing temperatures handled the program its first major setback amid concerns among some Americans about the safety of the vaccines.

“There has never, ever, ever been a logistical challenge as consequential as what we're trying to do, but we're getting it done,” he said.

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With the pandemic still killing thousands of Americans a day, Biden said he did not want to give firm predictions of when the crisis will be under control. However, he said that 600 million doses, enough to vaccinate most of the United States, were expected to be ready by the end of July.

“I believe we'll be approaching normalcy by the end of this year. God willing, this Christmas will be different to last, but I can't make that commitment,” he said.

Meanwhile, the White House said that it was working with state officials to facilitate scheduled deliveries and surge shipment operations.

“The CDC and federal partners are working closely with the jurisdictions, as well as manufacturing and shipping partners, to assess weather conditions, and to help mitigate potential delivery delays and cancellations,” Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.

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