Josh Wingrove and Justin Sink
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is calling for a vaccination crusade as he prepares for a winter wave of COVID-19 cases that may re-accumulate hospitalizations and deaths, but this time without a blank check to combat the outbreak.
Congressional Republicans have blocked more investment in vaccines and medicines, forcing the government to get as much money as possible for them and rely on the personal sector for care. This raises questions about the length of Pfizer Inc. ‘s stockpile of tests, vaccines and drugs. Paxlovid remedy pills.
Biden, hampered by a shrinking budget, is calling on U. S. corporations to increase the use of boosters as vaccination policy declines, other remedies become obsolete and materials run out.
The preaspectant joined Tuesday at the White House through executives of CVS Health Corp. , Rite Aid Corp. and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. Biden, which won its own retirement, called on employers to set up on-site clinics for flu and coronavirus vaccines, with staff urging them to get vaccinated and providing paid time off to staff suffering side effects.
“As a country, we have to make a decision,” Biden said, urging others to update the reinforcements. Or can we have a much better winter, if we all use all the equipment we have now? »
In addition to a lack of funds, management also faces widespread public apathy, with masks and distancing almost completely deserted across the country. Biden himself said last month that the pandemic is “over” and he almost never wears a mask, even to crowds of people. his supporters. The United States has also largely eliminated COVID-specific press briefings.
Hospitalizations have now begun to rise in some European countries and parts of the United States, as newer versions of the virus, such as the XBB variant, are more adept at evading immunity than previous vaccines or infections.
Biden again suggested to Congress on Tuesday to “increase much-needed COVID funding. “
“Help us step up from the virus,” he said.
“My message to Congress is that we want to pass more funding for COVID,” said Lawrence Gostin, director of Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. deaths unless Congress acts and the public understands the importance of vaccines. “
So far, about 20 million people have received an updated reminder, and the numbers have been surging since the shooting cleared early last month.
Still, management needs higher vaccination numbers and expects the cases to be due to cooler weather and holiday gatherings, an official familiar with their plans said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
A winter wave can also lead to a shortage of testing. Biden’s team is stockpiling and reaching out to retailers, warn them to be taken by surprise. It’s too early to say whether pharmacies and others have bought enough tests for the winter, the official said.
In addition to vaccines, the U. S. The U. S. government has relied on Paxlovid to minimize severe cases. The supply remains strong, but it is not transparent that this will last all winter, the official said. Nor is it transparent if the U. S. is not transparent. If the U. S. will buy more, which may simply force the drug’s transition to the advertising market, it will most likely reduce its use.
“You will charge cash to get vaccinated or get Paxlovid or other treatments. This will mean that the U. S. will not be able to do so. The U. S. will fall even more than its peers,” Gostin said.
The U. S. wants to expand vaccines and remedies that are more resistant to variants, and that likely wouldn’t be achieved without new funding, the official said.
“The budget for our vaccination crusade is very, very limited and that has made it harder to vaccinate other people and conduct a genuine crusade,” Ashish Jha, Biden’s COVID-19 response coordinator, said last week at a roundtable in Georgetown hosted by Gostin.
Monoclonal and pre-exposure remedies are proving less effective at countering new variants and may soon become ineffective, Jha said. “Our medicine cabinet, which is expected to grow as we overcome this disease, is shrinking. “
The administration has been largely preparing for the potential renewal of senior officials after the November 8 midterm elections, but the COVID-19 team is set to remain largely intact.
Anthony Fauci, the prominent immunologist, is stepping down from his role as Biden’s lead medical adviser.
Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky indicated they plan to fill their posts and said that, between COVID-19 and other priorities, there is still a lot of work to be done. .
Biden on Tuesday suggested employers adopt beneficial and flexible vaccination plans and in case of health problems, even as management maintains that the worst of the virus is over.
Biden announced a program Walgreens is expected to launch that would allow Americans living in spaces designated by the government as “socially vulnerable” to receive Paxlovid prescriptions released online through Uber Inc. drivers. and DoorDash Inc.
But it’s not clear that those projects will suffice with vaccine relief and Paxlovid as the entire American defense.
“The United States has one of the worst vaccination rates among high-income countries in the world,” Gostin said. “This means we will continue to have higher rates of hospitalization and death. “
___
©2022 Bloomberg L. P. Visit Distributed through Tribune Content Agency, LLC.