Friday in Portage, near Kalamazoo, President Joe Biden talked about the effort to produce and deliver vaccines to people in Michigan and across the country.
Biden spoke after touring the Pfizer production facility. It's been producing millions of doses of its COVID-19 vaccine since December.
“I came here because I want the American people to understand the extraordinary, extraordinary work that is being done to undertake the most difficult operational challenges this nation has ever faced,” President Biden said.Biden pointed to large-scale vaccination efforts in Kalamazoo and Detroit, along with other efforts around the state. The president also heaped praise on Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
“The governor’s been on the front lines of this pandemic for a long time. And I think she’s doing an incredible job in very difficult circumstances,” he said.
Biden also praised the work of Pfizer employees – calling it a “miracle of manufacturing.” He said he knows some people are hesitant about getting a shot, especially in minority communities.
"But if there's one message to cut through to everyone in this country, it's this: the vaccines are safe. Please, for yourself, your family, your community, this country, take the vaccine when it's your turn and available."
Biden said with the help of Pfizer and other companies, the U.S. is on track to have enough coronavirus vaccines for everyone who needs it by the end of July.
"My predecessor, as my mother would say, God love him, failed enough to order enough vaccines. Failed to mobilize the effort to administer the shots. Failed to set up vaccine centers. That changed the moment we took office."
Biden urged people to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, calling it a "patriotic duty."
