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Fauci: Biden's 100 Million COVID Inoculations in 100 Days is 'Doable'

VOA News

   The top U.S. infectious disease expert said Sunday that President-elect
   Joe Biden's ambitious plan toinoculate100millionpeople withtheCOVID
   vaccine inthefirst 100 days of his presidency"is absolutely a doable
   thing."

   Speaking on NBC Television's "MeetthePress,"Anthony Fauci, the director
   of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
   Diseases,saidthatwith the current vaccinesandadditional vaccines
   scheduled to come to market soon,combined with adherence to wearing
   masks and observing social distancing,hebelievesthe U.S. could be in
   "good shape."

   Currently, the U.S. isfar from being in "good shape."Withnearly 24
   million COVID-19 cases,ithas moreinfectionsthan anyother country.The
   rollout of theU.S.inoculationcampaignhas been problematic with far
   fewer people inoculatedby the end of last yearthanthe Trump
   administration predicted.

   Meanwhile,California'sLos Angeles County has become the first U.S.
   county to record 1 million COVID-19 cases. Theimpactof themassivenumber
   of infections is compounded by the confirmation of the appearance in
   the countyof two mutations of the virus -- the British variant and a
   Denmark variant.

   The British variant is highly contagious. Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the
   county's public health director, said in a statement, "The presence of
   the U.K. variant in Los Angeles County is troubling."

   Researchers are notsureifthe Danish variant is as contagious asthe
   British one, but CharlesChiu,responsiblefor the sequencing of
   theDenmarkstrain said Sunday, 'There are worrisome signs that this
   variant may be highly transmissible."

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