President-elect Joe Biden warned Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic will get worse before it gets better.
"Our darkest days in the battle against COVID are ahead of us, not behind us," Biden told reporters during a year-end news conference in Wilmington, Del.
He said that Americans, when united, could overcome the crisis, and he called the first vaccines being administered a good thing. But he noted that distribution of the vaccines is one of the biggest operational challenges the country has ever faced.
The House and Senate passed a $900 billion COVID-19 aid package late Monday after months of negotiations. Biden praised Congress for the bill, but he stressed it wasn't enough, especially considering it only would provide 10 weeks of federal unemployment benefits.
"It's going to take a lot longer than that" for the economy to recover, Biden said. He reiterated he would push for a bigger package when he is president, including for more direct payments to families as well as money for vaccine distribution and coronavirus testing, and aid for state and local governments.
Biden's remarks came a day after he and his wife, Jill, received a first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. U.S. cases of the coronavirus are again on the rise, and the national death toll from the virus nears 320,000 lives lost. Biden has said he hopes in the first 100 days to oversee the distribution of 100 million shots of the vaccine.
On Tuesday, Biden thanked health care and front-line workers, and said his family usually has 25 people or so over for Christmas, "but not this year.""Like we did over Thanksgiving," we all have to care for each other by staying apart, Biden said. "I know it's hard."

Vaccination is a good thing, but it is also true that adverse reactions have occurred. This is not the time to be optimistic. Maintaining social distancing and wearing a good mask are the best things to do now.

Them not us

We forbid it!