Biden says he ‘wouldn’t hesitate’ to get Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccines

President-elect says he will get the vaccine without hesitation 'if Fauci, Moderna and Pfizer conclude it's safe and able to be done’

President-elect Joe Biden said he “wouldn’t hesitate to get the vaccine” during a press conference on Monday while demanding cooperation from President Donald Trump’s White House in coordinating Covid-19 recovery efforts.

“I wouldn't hesitate to get the vaccine,” Mr Biden told reporters, saying: “If Fauci, Moderna and Pfizer conclude it's safe and able to be done.”

He added: "The only reason people question the vaccine now is because of Donald Trump."

The president-elect also said “it’s going to take a while … for the vaccine to get to people” while condemning the “irresponsible” behavior of the Trump administration not to comply with transitional recovery efforts. 

He and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris met with business and labor leaders before delivering the remarks, urging the senate to pass a sweeping coronavirus relief bill the Democratic-led House passed earlier this year.

The $3 trillion bill known as the HEROES Act would provide direct cash payments to the majority of Americans, as well as a comprehensive set of resources for those impacted by the pandemic that’s killed more than 250,000 people across the country. 

The $3 trillion bill known as the HEROES Act would provide direct cash payments to the majority of Americans, as well as a comprehensive set of resources for those impacted by the pandemic that’s killed more than 250,000 people across the country.

Mr Biden’s comments came as the Trump administration was refusing to provide the president-elect with key materials involved in a typical transition, including daily intelligence briefings. Mr Trump has yet to concede to Mr Biden while vowing a slew of legal challenges to the electoral process — much of which has failed in the courts.  

Speaking after the virtual conference, Ms Harris said she and the president-elect “don’t have a moment to waste” and added that the road ahead “will not be easy”. 

Mr Biden said he wanted to “shut down” the virus rather than the nation’s economy, pointing to his national plan which featured measures to lockdown certain regions facing major outbreaks rather than a countrywide shutdown.

“Once we shut down the virus and deliver economic relief to workers and businesses, then we can start to build back better than before,” he said.