In a victory speech on Saturday, President-elect Joe Biden said, “Our work begins with getting COVID under control. We cannot repair the economy, restore our vitality, or relish life’s most precious moments — hugging a grandchild, birthdays, weddings, graduations, all the moments that matter most to us — until we get this virus under control.”
Biden made these comments when the pandemic has been hitting us real hard. A recent surge in the number of new cases and hospitalizations is grappling the whole nation. In fact, the number of daily COVID-19 deaths has been rinsing since the last month.
On Saturday, the Biden promised to be someone “who doesn’t see Red and Blue states, but a United States.”
The 77-year-old is expected to announce a task force today to put his COVID-19 plan into effect, a team that will reportedly be co-chaired by former FDA commissioner Dr. David Kessler and former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, according to Forbes.
Public health authorities have been expressing concerns over the rising number of new cases and deaths in the coming months, expecting the numbers to hit more than 200,000 per day and over 1,000 deaths per day.
However, once Biden Administration is sworn in, the transition COVID-19 task force will “enable it to hit the ground running,” according to Forbes.
The priorities are making masks mandatory across the nation, ensuring free and accessible tests, keeping COVID-19 information transparent with clearer communication, and offering financial support to communities and businesses.
Biden’s priorities also include investing in a $25 billion manufacturing and distribution plan to provide free vaccines to Americans and promoting international cooperation to tackle the ongoing pandemic.
“Americans have called on us to marshal the forces of decency and the forces of fairness,” Biden said. “To marshal the forces of science and the forces of hope in the great battles of our time.”
The President-elect has also said his administration will be creating a website called “Nationwide Pandemic Dashboard” to enable people to check on virus activity in their community in real-time.
The website will also offer advice to understand what kind of precautions you should be taking in your area.
In addition, Biden said through the website, the “CDC will be directed to provide clear guidance on how communities can respond to the spread of Covid-19 in their communities, including when to open or close certain businesses, bars, restaurants, and other spaces; when to open or close schools, and what steps they need to take to make classrooms and facilities safe; appropriate restrictions on the size of gatherings; when to issue stay-at-home restrictions.”
One of the most important promises made by Biden is the immediate restoration of the relationship between the United States and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Trump administration announced the termination of the association with the WHO over COVID-19 response, stating that the global health organization has been China-centric. The article originally appeared on Forbes.
