Biden on Thursday also plans to announce a major expansion of free trials, a move that public health officials have said is critical to containing the virus, especially when children return to school and some workers return to offices.
And it will address confusion about booster shots, though it won’t make new announcements about when additional doses will be allowed for Americans.
The six-axis plan that Biden will present was finalized Wednesday afternoon by the president and members of his public health team. He received an information meeting at the Oval Office of his Covid-19 response team about the planned new steps.
A White House official said the six pillars of the Biden plan include: vaccinating the unvaccinated; further protect the vaccine by booster shots; keeping schools open; increase testing and require masks; protect economic recovery; and improve care for people with Covid-19.
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.
An ABC News / Washington Post poll conducted in late August found that 52% of respondents approve of how Biden treats the pandemic, a 10-point drop from June. However, more respondents said they approved of their Covid treatment than they did.
At the same time, Biden’s general approval has fallen into negative territory amid a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and the dragging of the Delta variant on 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.
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.
This story has been updated with additional reports.