Johns hopkins this month has already been the deadliest yet for this pandemic in our country. Worse than the bad old days of 2020 when we thought it was at its height. Its under these conditions that Biden Administration held its very first Covid Briefing where the messages were blunt and grounded in reality. This is a national emergency. 400,000 people have died. Everything is on the table and we will execute accordingly. It will be months before everyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one. Any stock pile that may have existed previously no longer exists. Pfizer and moderna are committed to delivering a total of 200 million doses by tend of march. The United States plans to purchase an additional 200 million doses from moderna and pfizer this year, which will be sufficient to vaccinate every american over the age of 16. And we expect those doses this summer. There is money in the american recovery act to move this forward, and we really need to have access to those resources.
And we expect those doses this summer. There is money in the american recovery act to move this forward, and we really need to have access to those resources. Dr. Walensky, the new cdc director who you just heard there, projected that on the current trajectory, the u. S. Could lose as many as 514,000 people by the 20th of february. Thats when were on track to break the half million mark. The president was not part of todays briefing, a contrast with his predecessor, who found his own attendance at such briefings was essential. The current president was focused on another priority on his agenda today, confronting the effects of Climate Change. He has signed a series of Executive Orders detailing extensive and fast plans to shift the u. S. Away from fossil fuels, casting his policies as part of his economic recovery program. In my view weve already waited too long to deal with this climate crisis. We cant wait any longer. We see it with our own eyes. We feel it. We know it in our bones.
Stayathome orders, but the governor says it wont be until next month at the soonest. He once six criteria met before loosening restrictions. Here are the bullet points protecting communities through testing and contact tracing, protecting atrisk groups from infection, making sure hospitals and Health Systems can handle surge, developing therapeutics for treatment, making sure businesses and schools can support physical distancing, and finally the ability to reinstitute stayat home orders if necessary. We have Live Team Coverage no. For now, the governor is asking everyone to stay the course. Reporter thats right, news and praises californians for acting doubtfully to she wants them to transition out of the crisis the same way. Theres no lightswitch here. I would argue its more like a dimmer. Reporter governor gavin newsom says reopening society and the economy may be an on again offagain process. This toggling back and forth between more restrictive and less restrictive measures. Repor