On Saturday, July 3, 2021, the White House South Lawn will prepare for Independence Day celebrations in Washington. (AP photo / Patrick Semanski)
Washington (AP) — After nearly six months in office, working on a pandemic at every stage, President Joe Biden decided to hold a party.
“This is a holiday weekend.” Biden declared on Friday, “I’m celebrating it,” when he accepted a journalist’s “negative” question about the ongoing withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. did.
Biden wants Americans to congratulate him after enduring the 16-month turmoil of the pandemic and the deaths of more than 605,000 people. The White House encouraged rallies and fireworks displays across the country to mark the nation’s “independence” from the virus, as if torn from a Hollywood script.
And there is a lot to support. Cases and deaths from COVID-19 have been at or near record lows since the outbreak began, thanks to a strong US vaccination program. Businesses and restaurants are open, employment is increasing, and travel is approaching pre-pandemic levels.
Still, it’s not the moment of “mission achievement.” More than 200 Americans die daily from COVID-19, more infectious variants of the virus are spreading rapidly at home and abroad, and tens of millions of Americans are not vaccinated. I have chosen that.
Dr. Mattifratshwayo Davis, an infectious disease specialist at the John Cochrane VA Medical Center and the St. Louis Health Commission, said: “If you are not vaccinated, you need to be vigilant. That is just a conclusion and there is no easy way to vaccinate.”
“But that doesn’t undermine the fact that this country is in a very good place,” she said.
Biden, who will host the biggest ever presidential event at the White House’s South Lawn on Sunday, sees this as a long-awaited opportunity to highlight the success of his advocacy vaccination campaign. The United States has moved to a new stage of virus response, from a national emergency to a localized crisis of personal responsibility, and from vaccination of Americans to promoting global health. Will be the clearest sign in.
“This year’s Independence Day is different from last year’s Independence Day,” Biden said on Friday. “And next year will be better.”
Senior Biden administration officials instigated the country over the weekend to advertise a significantly improved virus situation under the banner of “American Back.”
Don’t worry that the big fanfare failed to meet the president’s fourth vaccination goal.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics, Biden wanted 70% of the adult population to be vaccinated by Sunday, but about 67%. Authorities argued that the mistake had little practical impact on Americans’ ability to mark Independence Day holidays.
What they are even more concerned about is the emergence of two different realities in the United States. The gap between the highly vaccinated community where the virus is becoming extinct and the less vaccinated community where new delta variants are already established.
Immunization rates in about 1,000 counties are less than 30%, and the federal government has warned that relaxed virus regulations could be the next hotspot.
The administration is sending “surge” teams to Colorado and Missouri. An additional team of infectious disease specialists, public health professionals, doctors and nurses are preparing to assist additional locations with a combination of low vaccination rates and increasing cases.
Overall, the significantly improved American landscape is quite unlike any other part of the world where the vast vaccine desert and wide community expanse remain that could open the door to even more dangerous variants. In contrast. The Biden administration is increasingly changing the federal government’s response to the complex logistics of sending excess US vaccines abroad to help other countries defeat the pandemic.
Even if the vaccine was widely available for months, authorities said the consequences of the illness are now as the demand for vaccines in the United States declined and governments and businesses hung a series of incentives to launch attacks on Americans. Those who have not yet been vaccinated.
“The suffering and loss we are seeing now is almost completely avoided,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC.
When asked about the potential risks of having a rally around July 4 in an area with a large number of unvaccinated individuals, White House spokesman Jen Psaki said, “Individuals vaccinated in that area. If you receive it, you will be protected. “
At least 1,000 members and first responders were expected to cook and watch fireworks in South Lawn, according to the White House. The White House’s COVID-19 responsive coordinator, Jeff Seiens, said in a television interview on Sunday that the outdoor event was “in the right way” and “in line with the CDC guidelines.” The White House did not require vaccination, but had a COVID-19 test and asked guests to wear a mask if they were not completely vaccinated.
“Celebrating the victory is very important because we still have a lot to do,” Davis said. “As long as we wake up the next day, go to work and continue to prioritize the fairness of vaccine distribution, we can have a pocket of joy and celebration.”
Biden sees virus “independence”, but COVID does not take holidays | Chicago News
Source link Biden sees virus “independence”, but COVID does not take holidays | Chicago News