President Biden
Joe Biden’s administration still seizes land near the border despite plans to stop building the wall: report on the Olympics, the weather on the agenda of Biden’s meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Boehner on the ‘Afghanistan: “It’s time to withdraw troops” MORE faces a number of new obstacles to controlling the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.
Several states have experienced an increase in cases, even when millions of Americans are vaccinated every day, which can be attributed in part to the removal of restrictions on masks and businesses and general fatigue due to more pandemics. a year after the virus began to spread widely. More contagious variants are spreading across the country and experts warn that new variants could appear until the country reaches a greater degree of immunity.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week. While many health experts praised it as the right move, a prolonged pause could increase the vaccine’s hesitation, which would pose another challenge for Biden.
On Wednesday, a CDC group did not decide when or whether to issue new recommendations on the use of the shot, meaning the break could last several weeks.
The president has earned high scores for his response to the pandemic so far, both from health experts and the public. A Monmouth poll this week found that 62% of adults say Biden has done a good job of handling the coronavirus pandemic, a figure higher than 54% who approve of Biden’s work as president-general unless of 100 days of his presidency.
But the current setbacks may pose some challenges for these figures.
“I don’t think it’s specifically reflected in Biden, but it may slow down the overall effort to get the country back on track and may add fuel to the skepticism that many Americans still have about the vaccine,” a Democratic strategist said. of developments with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
While Johnson & Johnson’s delay will not disrupt the supply of vaccine doses to the country, it denies the nation the only approved trait that can be administered in a dose and vaccine that is easier to store than Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. .
This could make it difficult to administer vaccines to more vulnerable populations and leave some public health officials criticizing the decision, arguing that it would lead to further vaccination of the vaccine and slow recovery.
“[The panel’s] the decision to wait would be good if there were no pandemics, “tweeted Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown School of Public Health.” But yes. And waiting between 7 and 10 days won’t be long. I’m not sure what the data is. “But we will have done real harm to a fantastic vaccine, especially suitable for vulnerable populations.”
The White House insists that the plan to have enough vaccine doses for all American adults by the end of May will not be interrupted by the break.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki
Jen Psaki Night Defense: Administration Says Russia’s “Low to Moderate Confidence” Behind Troop Rewards in Afghanistan | “Low or medium risk” that Russia will invade Ukraine in the coming weeks Intelligence leaders face strong questions during the House’s global threats. Overnight Health Care: Johnson & Johnson Delays Criticism on CDC Panel | Pfizer CEO says third dose of COVID-19 vaccine is likely to be needed in a year | CDC finds that less than 1 percent of fully vaccinated people received COVID-19 Hillicon Valley: Biden administration sanctions Russia for SolarWinds piracy, electoral interference MORE he described the FDA process as the “gold standard” during a briefing on Thursday and said the administration would allow the process to unfold while maintaining the focus on vaccinating all American adults.
“We are confident that we have the supply needed to meet the demand,” he said. “Because we’re prepared and overfed, we’re safe.”
The rate of daily vaccinations has steadily increased in recent weeks, and officials announced this week that the United States now makes an average of 3 million coronavirus vaccines each day, with 3.5 million doses administered on Wednesday. . To date, nearly 200 million Americans have received at least one dose of vaccine.
Still, vaccination hesitation was a problem even before the unwanted news. Monmouth found that 21 percent of U.S. adults say they are unlikely to receive a vaccine, below 24 percent in March, but it is still high.
Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist who was part of Biden’s COVID-19 advisory committee during the transition, acknowledged that the decision to pause the vaccine could create more hesitation toward the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in particular, but described it. as a necessary step to demonstrate transparency in the public vaccination process.
“If there’s the feeling that something is hiding, I think this will create irreparable damage from a credibility standpoint to our ability to continue to pursue these vaccine programs,” Osterholm said.
Michigan is one of the states that has experienced a sharp rise in new cases and has caused some friction between the state governor and the White House.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Gretchen Whitmer Watch live: Whitmer provides updates on COVID-19 in Michigan Multiple Michigan GOP Michiganders test positive for COVID-19 after district meeting on pandemic management by White House: has shown a great gravity MORE (D), considered vice president, asked the administration to increase vaccine doses to the state to prevent the increase in cases, but the administration said it would not. The CDC chief argued that the most effective way to curb the spread would be to re-impose some restrictions, which Whitmer does not want to do with fatigue with restrictions on his condition. Whitmer will face re-election next year.
Biden has called on governors to return mask warrants to the states where they have been lifted and to reconsider reducing some restrictions, warning that too many Americans believe the pandemic fight is over.
Health experts expressed confidence that in the summer, through a combination of warmer climate and a more vaccinated public, the country will likely have overcome the current rise in cases. Still, Osterholm said the fight is not over.
“I think what’s happening in Minnesota, Michigan, and it’s starting to happen in other states is a warning that we’re not done yet,” he said.
Officials have tried to address the hesitation between minority and ethnic and racial groups, as well as Republican voters, whose polls show they are much more likely than Democrats to resist vaccines.
The Biden administration has invested resources in convincing hesitant populations that the vaccine is safe and effective and reaches underserved communities, including the deployment of a network of 275 organizations including sports leagues, business groups and religious groups. and other community organizations to coordinate efforts to instill public confidence. the vaccine.
The Biden administration has also earmarked $ 3 billion from the president’s $ 1.9 trillion rescue package to support state and local efforts to increase vaccine uptake in minority and rural communities.
But health experts describe the issue of hesitation as a complex challenge, which requires officials to understand the justification of each group that has expressed reluctance and address concerns independently.
“When you start examining all the parties that may be reluctant to get vaccinated, there is no real answer. Part of the challenge is that you can’t just put up a billboard that says get vaccinated, ”said Osterholm.