By Blake Haas

BLOOMINGTON – Coronavirus cases are on the rise, and Illinois’s Senior U.S. Senator says President Trump needs to work with President-elect Joe Biden to prepare for vaccine distribution.

Speaking with WJBC’s Scott Miller, Senator Dick Durbin said President Trump’s reluctance to work with President-elect Joe Biden would hurt the nation.

“There’s going to be a vaccine. And we’re going to have to figure out how 330 million Americans can have an opportunity, not a requirement, but an opportunity to be vaccinated. That is the biggest single undertaking that we’ve ever had in terms of public health. And now we have a transition from one President to another where Donald Trump is saying, ‘no, I’m sorry we won’t sign off of the fact that Biden is coming to office here. We won’t provide any money; we won’t let him make the plans that are necessary for the vaccine.”

Sen. Durbin adds that President Trump can take credit for “Operation Warp speed,” a distribution plan to deliver 300 million doses of the vaccine. However, Durbin says if President Trump elects not to work with President-elect Biden on the distribution process, Americans will not get the vaccine quickly enough.

“Listen, President Trump can take credit for ‘(Operation) Warp Speed.’ That was his project; it looks like it’s bearing fruit. And he out to be proud of it, I would be if I was in his shoes. But if he steps on the distribution of this vaccine and people can’t get it when they need it, that’s terrible. That is not good for this country; it’s not good for our economy. It’s not going to get these businesses back in business.”

LISTEN: U.S. Senator Dick Durban spoke with WJBC’s Scott Miller about COVID-19 vaccine distributions. 

Recently, drug maker Pfizer revealed its COVID-19 vaccine was 95% effective and had no severe effects.

Pfizer reports it could have up to 50 million doses available by the end of the year, with up to 1.3 billion by the end of 2021.

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].