EXECUTIVE ACTIONS

• President Joseph Biden’s plan to administer 100 million vaccines in his first 100 days as president is on track to be successful. Now, the average number of people being vaccinated daily in the US has reached 1.82 million, and more Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine than have tested positive for Covid since the start of the pandemic. (Source: Bloomberg) 
• On Feb. 27, the U.S. House of Representatives passed President Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill, the American Rescue Plan. The bill passed the Senate early Friday morning by a vote of 50-49. and now heads back to the House for a final vote later this week on the bill that the Senate passed. If passed, the American Rescue Plan will create a national vaccination program, implement regular testing protocols to safely reopen schools, supply families struggling in the pandemic with financial relief, create and fund numerous jobs in public health, support small businesses and essential workers, and work to contain Covid-19 through testing, vaccination, and other means. (Sources: The White House and The New York Times)
• The Federal Government has deployed 800 federal personnel as vaccinators with an additional 1,000 federal personnel deployed to serve in operational roles at community vaccination sites. Moreover, 1,200 National Guard members were deployed as vaccinators, including in California where guard members have been distributing vaccines at California State University, Los Angeles. (Source: White House Covid-19 press briefing on Feb. 24) 

In the past 5 weeks, the White House has nearly doubled weekly supply of vaccine doses. The White House has increased vaccine supply to states, territories, and tribes to 14.5 million doses this week from 8.6 million doses when they took office. Additionally,  through the Retail Pharmacy Program, the White House has increased the allocation to pharmacies to 2.1 million doses. (Source: White House Covid-19 press briefing on Feb. 24)