President Joe Biden sought to begin the U.S. government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic on his first day in office Wednesday, signing a series of action orders intended to free a country from the public health crisis worst in more than a century.
Biden took office a day after the United States died a total of 400,000 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began to spread widely in March last year. Vaccination programs have fallen far short of the target of 20 million Americans admitted by the end of 2020.
“We are entering the most difficult and deadly time of the virus and we need to put politics aside and finally tackle this pandemic as one nation,” said Biden, Democrat 78- year, in his inaugural speech.
The U.S. has reported nearly 200,000 new COVID-19 infections and 3,000 deaths per day on a seven-day follow-up average, according to Reuters data. More than 123,000 Americans were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday. More people have now died of pandemic than those who fought in World War II.
The actions Biden announced on Wednesday included a mask order on federal property and federal staff, an order to set up a new White House office coordinating response to the virus and halting its withdrawal process from the World Health Organization (WHO), supporters said.
Biden’s predecessor, former President Donald Trump, began the process of withdrawing from the World Health Organization last year after being accused of incompetence and bow to Chinese pressure over the coronavirus.
Wednesday “kicks off a new day, a new, different approach to managing the country’s response to the COVID-19 crisis,” said Jeff Zients, who heads the Biden pandemic disease team.
Fauci to lead US delegation at WHO
Highlighting the new president’s commitment to a more visible global role, world-leading infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci will lead a delegation to participate in Thursday’s WHO governing board meeting, Zientes said.
Fauci explains how the new administration intends to work with the WHO on reforms, support the coronavirus response and promote global health and safety, he said, adding: “ America’s withdrawal from the international arena has hampered the global response and left us more vulnerable to future pandemics. “
The Biden administration also plans to join the COVAX alliance, an initiative led by the WHO and two other organizations that are trying to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines for poor countries.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed US reconnection with the WHO, citing Stephane Dujarric, saying it was “absolutely crucial” for a more coordinated global response to COVID -19.
“With vaccines being the emergency device in the battle against COVID-19, the unification of the United States and the support of the COVAX facility will boost efforts to ensure equal access to vaccines for its use. all countries, “Dujarric said.
Face mask command
Biden’s first moves are expected to show a break with the Trump administration’s pandemic response, called by critics ineffective and uncoordinated.
The federal mask command, in particular, intends to set an example for state and local officials as they try to reverse the virus, Zientes said.
Scientists and public health experts have said that face masks can help prevent the spread of the infectious virus but face mask has become a real sight in American life reflecting a political divide greater than country.
Trump, who awarded a contract to COVID-19 in the autumn of the northern hemisphere last year, rejected calls for a national mask command and held campaign rallies without a mask. Biden’s campaign initially clung to meaningful events before expanding to other hidden and socially excluded collections.
A federal mascara order drew praise from the country’s top business lobbying on Wednesday, with U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Suzanne Clark calling it a “quick and practical approach.”
Meanwhile, Rochelle P Walensky, who was inaugurated Wednesday as the new director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said she would begin a “comprehensive review of the existing guidelines. already associated with COVID-19 “.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky is a Biden practitioner to run the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [File: Kevin Lamarque/ Reuters]
“We have better, healthier days ahead,” Walensky said in a statement. “But to get there, testing, testing and vaccination of COVID-19 needs to be accelerated quickly. We also need to address the public health challenges posed by social and racial injustice and inequality that have plagued action for far too long. “
Walensky, a former expert on infectious diseases at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, has previously said that one of her top priorities is to improve the CDC’s communication with the public to rebuild trust. Under Trump, the group had sunk in the shadows, weakened by an administration bent on reducing the coronavirus.
“America and the world count the science and leadership of CDC,” Walensky said. “Just as it has been since the outbreak began, CDC will continue to focus on what is known – and what more can be learned – about the virus to control America.”