Editor's Note:
Roberto Izurieta is Director of Latin American Projects at George Washington University.
He has worked in political campaigns in several Latin American countries and Spain, and was an advisor to Presidents Alejandro Toledo, of Peru;
Vicente Fox, from Mexico, and Álvaro Colom, from Guatemala.
Izurieta is also a contributor to CNN en Español.
The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author alone.
See more opinions at cnne.com/opinion
(CNN Spanish) -
It is very common that after overcoming a serious challenge, we forget the importance of achievement. Within a few years after winning the war, we forget the meaning of peace. Now, the world faces one of its biggest wars in history: the war against covid-19. The Biden administration is winning this war, in large part, thanks to its intense vaccination plan.
Every war is won by its citizens with their commitment and above all, those who are at the forefront of the battle, in this case, health workers and those who have not been able to work virtually because their workforce is needed in supermarkets (mainly ATMs), public transportation, garbage collection, food plants and many other sites. But, above all, we will win this war for the conscience of the majority of the population to maintain physical distance and wear masks in public.
During the last weeks of the presidency of Donald Trump, the daily average of the administration of vaccines in the United States was around 500,000; today, it is normal to spend 2.7 million a day. We are reaching the point where anyone who wants to - over the age of 16 - can get the vaccine. The challenge will be to vaccinate those who do not want to, and the main cause of that problem lies in the months of disinformation and political manipulation led by Trump.
This process began with the great effort of the world scientific community to discover vaccines.
And it started a long time ago.
In 1999, the Gates Foundation invested $ 750 million in the most promising research.
Another visionary decision came from the governments of the US, Europe, China and India to pre-purchase the production of these potential vaccines, assuming the risk of not using those that did not achieve approval.
It was a powerful global effort.
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But Biden's greatest achievement, which was defined as his main characteristic of his government, was the ability to coordinate, manage and enhance the production, distribution and application of vaccines.
The achievements are in sight.
Biden's 100 Days: Immigration and Gun Control Reforms, Topics of His Address to Congress
During the government of Donald Trump, two major economic stimulus packages were approved and support for unemployed workers or low- and middle-income workers. Offering subsidies for people who lost their low-income jobs was another big decision made by the US, as well as other countries around the world. s. The Biden government pushed for a third package - even more energetic - despite the fact that only in this third case the Republicans opposed it using arguments that they did not use in any of the packages proposed by the Trump administration and supported by Democratic legislators.
The next challenge is the long-awaited investment package in road infrastructure, transportation, technology, health and the environment.
A very ambitious proposal.
We all recognize the needs, the problem is how to finance it without exceeding an acceptable level of public debt.
Hopefully they reach an agreement.
Tim Scott: Biden is dividing America 2:37
Biden still has his biggest challenges ahead of him
The Biden Administration's biggest challenge will continue to be immigration.
America calls for comprehensive immigration reform.
And without a doubt, disorderly migration is not the answer to the crisis the region is experiencing.
Comprehensive reform must begin by recognizing the work and sacrifice of the undocumented.
Fighting an injustice of such size is a fundamental condition for the progress and development of every nation.
There are other challenges that - like immigration - have not been addressed in decades: gun control.
It is not admissible to get used to reading and seeing tragic acts of violence every day, facilitated by the indiscriminate and senseless use of weapons.
Here too, Republican support will be needed.
Biden vows to lift "abandoned and forgotten" Americans with his ambitious economic program
Another great achievement of the Biden administration is that the political noise has subsided.
Many times, when a government goes unnoticed it is good.
The role of the State is to administer what is public and to encourage the private sector to work on job creation and progress.
To achieve this, many times, you simply have to leave the latter alone.
Without a doubt, the Biden government will be one that is more institutional and based on the experience of the public administration: the extensive administration of vaccines is its best example.
Not bad at all to have achieved it in 100 days.
Joe biden