The six-axis plan that Biden is due to unveil on Thursday afternoon was still being finalized by the president and members of his public health team. On Wednesday afternoon he will have to receive an information session in the oval office of his Covid-19 response team.
Officials said they hope the new approach will provide Americans with a clearer view of how the pandemic will end after 18 months of life cushioned by Covid. The White House has seen the president’s approval ratings in Covid fall and feels part of the problem is the setback that was felt this summer: a rebound in cases led to a return to masks and continued working from home.
At the same time, Biden’s general approval has fallen into negative territory amid a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and a slow economic recovery. The president’s aides consider the fight against the pandemic to be the most important issue in his presidency and what will determine his political destiny.
When American students return to classrooms, battles over masks and vaccination requirements for older children have erupted in school districts across the country. Health officials say they expect vaccinations for children under 12 to be authorized in the coming months, but parents have been frustrated by the pace at which the process is unfolding.
Biden has identified schools as a key area of focus, given the broader effect having children in classrooms on the economy, especially for women.
The president also plans to address vaccine requirements for public sector employees. It has already required federal workers to accredit the vaccine or to be subject to strict mitigation requirements, and some corners of the government, including the military and health workers, have required the vaccine.
The elaboration of the following steps has been directed by the Biden coronavirus team. There are still some limitations on what the administration can do and the White House still believes the federal government cannot order a broad mandate on vaccinations for the American public.
“We have seen that there are several ways” to increase vaccinations, Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday. “One of them is private sector companies that require, depending on their capabilities, that their employees be vaccinated or that certain school districts be forced. Another is certainly the fear of the Delta variant. And we have to continue to take more steps to make sure school districts are vacant.prepared and make sure communities across the country are prepared. “
While Biden has encouraged companies to require vaccines for workers, officials said they believe there are more things the private sector can do to encourage people to receive the shot. This includes requiring vaccination tests in restaurants, bars and other places. Government officials have been working over the past few weeks to determine what ways the government could make it easier for companies to enforce these requirements.
The White House has repeatedly said there will be no federally mandated vaccine passport, but has been pushing for other ways to increase vaccination rates.
At the same time, the administration is preparing to launch booster shots for Americans who have already received vaccines, although the date on which the third shots will begin is unclear.
The Biden administration had initially said last month that a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine would be available to adults on September 20th. we recommend booster outlets. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will meet on Sept. 17 to discuss Covid-19 booster shots.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Veronica Stracqualursi contributed to this report.