President TrumpDonald TrumpMcCarthy to offer UC request to revisit foreign spending in omnibusGOP senator on Trump pardons: ‘This is rotten to the core’Trump pardons Manafort, Stone and Charles Kushner in latest roundMORE and first lady Melania TrumpMelania TrumpTrump selects Hicks, Bondi, Grenell and other allies for positionsGeorgia megachurch pastor tests positive for COVID-19Trumps release their final White House Christmas photoMORE released a video message wishing Americans a merry Christmas on Thursday, while celebrating the two COVID-19 vaccines as a “Christmas miracle.”
“We’re grateful for all the scientists, researchers, manufacturing workers, and service members, who have worked tirelessly to make this breakthrough possible. It is truly a Christmas miracle,” the president said in the short video.
The two vaccines  one produced by Pfizer and BioNTech, the other by Moderna have recently been cleared for emergency distribution. Experts say widespread access for the general public will likely come in the spring.
“As you know, this Christmas is different than years past. We are battling a global pandemic that has affected all of us,” the first lady said in the video. “Teachers have worked extraordinarily hard to keep our children learning. Students have delivered groceries to elderly neighbors. Communities have found new ways to stay connected to one another.”
The video message comes as more states and cities re-impose restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus, as cases, hospitalizations and deaths rise.
The pandemic has claimed more than 320,000 lives in the U.S., with more than 18 million infected.