Vaccine frustrations: Biden administration vows to ramp up distribution

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Biden Administration is facing the monumental task of turning the COVID-19 pandemic around. President Joe Biden has promised to speed up vaccine distribution as many states and counties say demand for the shot is greatly outweighing supply.

The process is causing a lot of frustration, especially among seniors. States are slowly opening up who is eligible for the vaccine, but many sites don't have enough doses for everyone in those groups.

More than 31 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been distributed nationwide and about half of that has been administered.

New Jersey and Delaware are in Phase 1B of distribution. Pennsylvania is still in Phase 1A, but the state has expanded their criteria to include people 65 and older or those younger that 65 with high-risk medical conditions.

The problem is as soon as sites open, appointments are booked. There's more demand than there are doses.

The Biden Administration has vowed to ramp things up with the goal to give 100 million shots during the first 100 days of office.

"This is the time to set big goals to pursue them with courage, because the health of the nation is literally at stake," said President Biden upon announcing his plan.

Many experts say it's feasible. The country just recently hit one million people vaccinated in a day.

Personally, my mom was one of them in New Jersey, eligible due to her age. But we also faced frustration with the process. A family friend found her a slot at Inspira Medical Center.

Still, time is critical and continuing to take precautions is vital until everyone is protected. The CDC warns the more transmissible U.K. variant is picking up steam in the United States and researchers in California say a different variant detected there may be to blame for the surge in cases in the Golden State.

Tens-of-thousands of pharmacies are also waiting to get vaccine supply.

Keep in mind, we only have two vaccines authorized right now, but in the coming months we could see three more vaccines available which will definitely help boost supply.