In backstage remarks to Axios reporter Mike Allen after addressing a conference of African-American mayors, Vice President Kamala Harris said that the hardest part of fighting the coronavirus pandemic came when the Biden Administration first took office.
“There was no stockpile [of vaccines],” Harris said. “There was no national strategy or plan for vaccinations, [the federal government was] leaving it to the states and local leaders to try and figure it out.”
Harris went on to say finding that little had been done was disappointing. “In many ways, we are starting from scratch on something that’s been raging for almost an entire year,” she said, leading her to push her staff to find ways they can do more.
“We’ve got to figure out a way — that has to be our standard. Our standard has to be: ‘Everything is possible, but we’re going to have to work like heck to get it done.’ Which means … no patience for delay, no patience for, ‘It can’t be done.’ You know, that’s how I feel about it.”