update February 24, 2023
In his 2023 State of the Union Address, President Joe Biden said,
let’s recognize how far we came in the fight against the pandemic itself.
While the virus is not gone, thanks to the resilience of the American people and the ingenuity of medicine, we’ve broken the COVID grip on us.
COVID deaths are down by 90 percent. We’ve saved millions of lives and opened up our country — we opened our country back up.
And soon, we’ll end the public health emergency.
looking back at COVID-19
On March 11,2021 President Biden addressed the country about the current progress of ending the pandemic. He said
I carry a card in my pocket with the number of Americans who have died from COVID to date. It’s on the back of my schedule. As of now, the total deaths in America: 527,726.
President Biden
He announced we will have enough vaccine for every adult to be vaccinated by the end of May 2021.
Concerning current vaccination progress, we have vaccinated
- 65% of people over age 65
- 70% of people over age 70
Concerning schools he said
with the passage of the American Rescue Plan — I thank the House and Senate for passing it — and my…. plan to vaccinate teachers and school staff….. we can accelerate the massive, nationwide effort to reopen our schools safely and meet my goal… of opening the majority of K-8 schools in my first 100 days in office. This is going to be the number one priority of my new Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona.
President Biden
Thanks to usnews.com for publishing the complete transcript of his speech at this link.
President Joe Biden on the Coronavirus Pandemic
The United States government and healthcare
Here is a brief review of the healthcare agencies of the United States government.
The sitting President heads the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government.
The Department of Health and Human Services ,through the President’s Cabinet secretary, manages the response to COVID-19. Other Cabinet members and their Departments are involved as well.
The agencies most involved in the COVID-19 response include
- Health and Human Services-HHS
- Federal Emergency Management Agency-FEMA
- Centers for Disease Control-CDC
- National Institutes of Health-NIH
- Federal Drug Administration-FDA
- Small Business Administration-SBA
- Veterans Administration-VA
- Department of Defense -DOD
- Treasury Department
- State Department
December 31, 2019-China reports the coronavirus to WHO-the World Health Organization.
2020-The Biden-Harris Plan
During their campaign for the White House, Mr. Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris posted a 7 point plan to confront and control COVID-19.
2021-National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness
President Biden, Vice President Harris, and their science and healthcare teams developed a plan with 7 goals to end the pandemic and prevent others. You can read the entire 200 page report at the link. Here is a list of the 7 goals with a few of the points of each goal.
1. Restore trust with the American people.
- establishes a federal COVID-19 response team to coordinate efforts
- regular public briefings led by science experts
- track and make data available to the public by the CDC
2.Mount a safe, effective, and comprehensive vaccination campaign.
- increase the production of vaccines
- give states clearer projections on vaccine availability
- partner with states to create more vaccine centers
- launch a national campaign to educate and encourage Americans on vaccine
3. Mitigate spread through expanding masking, testing, data, treatments,health care workforce, and clear public health standards.
- asking Americans to wear masks for 100 days (note-this adds to any state or local recommendations or mandates on mask use)
- require masks on public transportation
- the CDC develop guidelines to help schools and businesses to reopen
- create programs to develop new treatments for COVID-19
4.Immediately expand emergency relief and exercise the Defence Production Act.
- increase emergency funding to the states for pandemic costs, including for PPE and use of National Guard
- invoke the Defense Production Act to increase the supply of PPE, and testing and vaccination supplies
5. Safely reopen schools, businesses, and travel while protecting workers.
- develop a national strategy to reopen most schools within 100 days
- federal agencies to issue updated guidance on protection for workers
- asks Congress to provide financial aid to schools, universities, and daycares (cost in the billions)
6. Protect those most at risk and advance equity, including across racial, ethnic and rural/urban lines.
- establishes an equity task force to address disparities based on race, ethnicity, and geography
- create a U.S. Public Health Workforce to help with testing and vaccinations in their communities
7. Restore U.S. leadership globally and build better preparedness for future threats.
- rejoin the World Health Organization
- increase humanitarian aid and support efforts to fight COVID-19 around the world
- asks for Congressional support to establish a national center to prepare for future biological threats
Exploring the HEART of health
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And this is still good advice to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other contagious diseases.
watercress words by Dr Aletha 