Published January 22, 2021 •
Updated on January 23, 2021 at 3:24 pm
NBCUniversal Media, LLC
On his first full day in office, President Joe Biden signed 10 executive orders aimed at combating the coronavirus pandemic, including one broadening the use of the Defense Production Act to expand vaccine production.
Currently, several states across the U.S. are reporting COVID-19 vaccine shortages. Health experts on Thursday blamed the shortages in part on the Trump administration’s push to get states to vastly expand their vaccination drives to reach the nation’s estimated 54 million people age 65 and over.
The U.S. has seen more than 25 million coronavirus cases and nearly 417,000 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic more than a year ago, according to a tally by NBC News.