In December 2020, then President-elect Joe Biden promised us that in his first 100 days in office, 100 million Americans will be vaccinated. Many, including myself, doubted whether or not this would be true. There was a lot of confusion about distribution, state by state differences and the efficacy of different types of vaccines. During the time of this announcement, the U.S. COVID-19 daily cases were peaking to an all-time high. For Biden, it was an extremely daunting task to take on in his first days as president.

However, unlike his predecessor, Biden kept his word and accomplished this lofty goal. He oversaw the distribution of 100 million vaccines into American’s arms in just 58 days. Isn’t it refreshing when our leaders keep their promises?

Now, President Biden has set a new, even more ambitious goal: 200 million shots in 100 days. With just about a month until he hits the 100 day mark, there are still a lot of unknowns. Will we be able to increase the rate of vaccinations like we have over the past month? Can we keep up with the growing number of Americans desperate to get the vaccine? Will another vaccine be approved for use in the United States within the next month? 

There are certainly many unknowns for our future, but let’s be happy that we’ve made this much progress in a few months. Just last year, experts feared that a vaccine might not come for years, citing the amount of time it took for previous vaccines to be made. But we broke the record, thanks to the amazing work of scientists around the world. 

There were also fears about distribution, and although there have been a few bumps in the road along the way, we’re moving at an extremely fast pace. We should be thankful for the work that President Biden is doing, along with his team of scientific experts, because our country is quite literally being saved by their quick response. Sure, things could always be moving faster or smoother, but it could be much worse without the help of these vaccines. 

I must emphasize just how different it feels to be able to trust the words of our president. Instead of daily lies, mixed messages and egotistical responses, we have a president who truly cares about the American people. President Biden works for us, not for himself, and this is something that every president should strive to do. 

In early March, Biden also addressed the nation, giving us hope for a brighter future by July 4. In his speech, he stated that “there is a good chance” that we would be able to gather and celebrate Independence Day this year. 

“After a long, hard year, that will make this Independence Day truly special–– where we not only mark our independence as a nation, but we begin to mark our independence from this virus,” Biden said.

Again, this is great to hear, but I also still find myself skeptical of this promise. In three months, part of me finds it hard to believe that our country will almost be back to normal. 

But, Biden kept his first promise, so for now, we’ll have to trust him with this statement. Hopefully, in a few short months, we will all be celebrating as we near the end of a long struggle with COVID-19. It will be worth the wait to see friends and family members gathered together – not having to worry about the virus for the first time in a long time.

Above all, it is imperative that we all get vaccinated when given the opportunity. More states are opening vaccine eligibility to all adults in the United States, so be on the lookout for information from your home state. And most importantly, keep masking up and social distancing until we’re in the clear. There’s only a few more months to go, but I know we can do this –– together.