President Joe Biden said he believes the United States will be close to returning to normalcy by the end of this year while visiting a Pfizer manufacturing plant in Michigan on Friday.
“I believe we’ll be approaching normalcy by the end of this year,” Biden said as he responded to a question at the vaccine plant in Kalamazoo, according to a White House statement.
The president continued to explain that he hopes by Christmas the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic will be contained and that this year’s end won’t be like last year. He added, however, that he can’t make that commitment yet.
“God willing, this Christmas will be different than the last,” Biden said, noting that he can’t fully make that commitment yet as “there are other strains of the virus” and “things can change.”
“We’re doing everything the science has indicated we should do, and people are stepping up to get everything done that has to be done,” he continued.
Biden also stressed several times during the meeting the importance of Americans following guidelines and take wearing masks seriously, even after getting vaccinated for the CCP virus, commonly referred to as the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19.
“The fundamental basic elements are that, before you get the shot and after—if you get the shots and after—social distancing saves lives, wearing masks saves lives, making sure that you wash your hands with hot water saves lives,” the president said.
Biden reassured Americans during his tour that the CCP virus vaccine is safe, explaining the reason why he took the inoculation publicly was to demonstrate that he believes it’s safe.
“Dr. Fauci assured me the COVID-19 vaccines were safe,” he said. “That’s why, several weeks ago, I went through the rigorous scientific review. That’s why I took my vaccine shot publicly to demonstrate to the American people that I know and believe it’s safe.”
The president’s remarks come as federal authorities have purchased additional doses of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines, putting the government on track to have enough supply for 300 million Americans by summertime.
Extreme winter weather across the United States, however, has handed the new president’s vaccination campaign a major setback, delaying shipment of about 6 million doses and causing temporary closures of inoculation sites in many communities.
Biden has set a goal of administering 100 million shots in his administration’s first 100 days, and he said Friday that’s still on track and it’s only a beginning.
The campaign has met with severe weather disruptions caused by frigid temperatures, snow, and ice, and has also left the White House and states scrambling to make up lost ground. Biden’s trip to see Pfizer’s largest plant was also pushed back a day due to a storm affecting the nation’s capital.
The president said that by the end of July, he remains confident his administration can deliver 600 million CCP virus vaccine doses for Americans. Still, he cautioned that timetable could change, citing the current weather delays and concerns about new strains of the virus as well as the possibility that production rates could fluctuate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.