[Reuters]–The new coronavirus infection has reignited in the United States ahead of Christmas and New Year, and President Biden’s measures have been criticized by medical experts. There are voices saying that testing, wearing masks, and distributing vaccines to the entire world should be promoted with a sense of crisis.
Mr. Biden, who took office in January, promised to curb the infection of the new coronavirus, proceeded with a large-scale vaccination plan, and set out economic measures. This is in contrast to former President Trump, who underestimated the seriousness of the new Corona and ignored various precautions to listen to medical professionals.
However, at present, the total number of deaths of the new corona in the United States has reached 800,000, which is the worst in the seven developed countries (G7) as the number per capita. Of these, 300,000 are dead under the Biden administration. With the advent of the Omicron mutant and the increased opportunities for people to gather with the arrival of the holiday season, the number of hospitalized patients with the new corona has reached a record high in some areas.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 65.2% of those eligible for vaccination in the United States have completed two doses. Less than 50% of states are due to Republican-led opposition. The percentage of those who have completed the third booster vaccination does not reach 30% of the total.
According to medical experts, the administration will (1) promote mask wear, (2) put pressure on companies to reduce testing costs, (3) share vaccine technology with the world, and (4) for major corona control measures. It is necessary to take measures such as increasing the budget of ──. Many experts say the administration has neglected these measures because of its focus on vaccination.
Greg Gonzalves, an associate professor of epidemiology at Yale University, said, “Where did the leadership go to sacrifice the people in an emergency? (Biden) should be on TV tonight and say,’I want you to wear a mask.’ “.
The administration has repeatedly argued that there is a way to fight Omicron stocks without closing schools and businesses. And it promises to expand free tests and spread booster vaccination.
However, at Broadway theaters, colleges, and professional sports league games, cancellations and postponements have already been decided, showing the reality of the relapse of infection.
＜Political problem＞
The biggest barrier to Biden’s fight against the new Corona is political.
Free and safe vaccines are plentiful, but misinformation and resistance to vaccination on social media thwart Mr. Biden’s call for vaccination. Republican politicians and conservative media are at the forefront of these moves.
The administration has promised to crack down on companies that have disseminated vaccine-related misinformation from early on, but the spread of misinformation is constant.
“The government seems to underestimate the fact that the anti-vaccine movement is, first and foremost, a political movement,” said Peter Hottes, president of Baylor College of Medicine and National Tropical Medical School. “The far-right hostility to science,” he said, is the number one factor that has killed young and middle-aged people in the United States.
The administration has also sent medical experts to conservative Fox News in an attempt to remove politics from the issue. Despite Fox commentators instilling skepticism in viewers about wearing vaccines and masks.
The Biden administration and Fox’s views are sometimes very different, but senior officials say the administration is focusing on Fox as a medium to disseminate public health information, including the Omicron stock strategy.
Mr Biden has been arguing with the Republican governors, but recently he has retreated politically and is devoting himself to calling on people to vaccinate directly. On the 16th, he warned that a severe winter of “severe and death” would come for unvaccinated people.
Biden said this month he would order a private health insurance company to reimburse 150 million customers who buy a new corona test kit over the counter and test it at home. It also announced that it would offer 50 million free tests for uninsured people.
However, there are criticisms that this is not enough.
Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan (Canada) Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Organization, said, “There are more uninsured Americans, and what about the assumption that we only have one quick test? Such a policy is completely inadequate. “
The surge in inspection demand for employees returning to work has led to a shortage of rapid inspection kits across the United States in the fall, raising the cost of local government inspection programs.
Recently, due to the rapid spread of infection, it has become possible to form a long line for inspection all over the country. It is also difficult to obtain test kits at pharmacies and online.
The government has explained that there are tens of thousands of free laboratories nationwide, the supply of home-based test kits has quadrupled, and more than a dozen new rapid test kits have been approved and are on the market.
Former CDC director Tom Friedman says the government needs to be more proactive in wearing masks. Subsidies for mask fees or distribution of masks may also be useful.
“For now, masks and vaccines are the most important issue for government intervention. It’s still extremely difficult for people to check the quality of the masks they buy and to buy them at a reasonable price,” Friedman said. rice field.
On the other hand, most people in developing countries have not yet been vaccinated, leaving room for new mutants to emerge. Experts point out that the Biden administration lacks efforts to spread vaccines around the world to protect foreigners and Americans.
(Jeff Mason reporter)
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