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The nation’s top infectious disease doctor says he is frustrated.
Fauci said he has been in public health situations where they did not have the means to stop something that is “devastating people,” saying that is also “very frustrating” in its own right, but the vaccine changes this scenario.
“It’s frustrating in a different?way when you have the tools and?you have the wherewithal to get?to the end game of where you?want to be, but you don’t?implement them,” he said.
“I don’t want to see people get?sick,?I don’t want to see them get?hospitalized and I certainly don’t want to?see them die, but that’s what’s?happening when you don’t?vaccinate to the full extent?possible,” Fauci added.
Responding to criticism that the Biden administration is overreaching by mandating vaccinations for government employees and some contractors, Fauci said the President has the power to take those steps.
“He has the authority when it?comes to the federal?government’s authority,” he said. “For example, he can tell – through?the Department of Labor – that any?company that has 100 or more?individuals should make a rule?that either their vaccinated or?they get tested.?He can say that they can get?paid leave to get vaccinated.?He can certainly with an?executive order say that members?of the executive branch of the?federal government need to be?vaccinated.?Those are all things he can do?as President.”
Watch more from Fauci:
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, and Vice Chair Mike Johnson criticized President Biden’s new executive order mandating vaccination for government employees and some contractors.?
McCarthy?called?the move, “flat-out un-American” on Twitter while Stefanik?referred to it?as an “authoritarian power grab.”?
Johnson?took a swipe?at Biden’s age and mental stability, writing, “President Biden can barely remember what day of the week it is—and now he wants to shred the Constitution and impose a mandate he has no authority to impose or means to enforce.”
Read the tweets:
The Biden administration is implementing Covid-19 vaccine requirements throughout the US where it has the authority to do so, White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients?said Thursday.
President Biden announced a wave of vaccine requirements for some workers in the US Thursday, including?federal workers, contractors,?health care workers in Medicare and Medicaid facilities and teachers working in the Head Start program.
When asked why the administration is not mandating the vaccine for all postal service employees and teachers in the US, Zients said, “We’re doing it everywhere we can.”
He noted that the Postal Service is an independent agency, and Biden is requiring teachers who are working for the federal government to get vaccinated.
Zients said the vaccine requirements already in place at health systems and private businesses across the country are making an impact.
“What?we’re seeing is that they work,” he said. “They increase the rates of vaccination dramatically.”
All eligible children attending Los Angeles Unified public schools – the nation’s second largest school district – will be required to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of the calendar year, the school board of education has voted.
In a special meeting held Thursday, the Los Angeles Unified School Board decided a mandate was appropriate based on the sudden surge of the virus brought about by the Delta variant and data showing lower rates of infection and hospitalization among those who are vaccinated.?
The proposal approved Thursday requires all eligible students 12 and older to receive their first vaccine dose by no later than Nov. 21, 2021, and their second dose by no later than Dec. 19, 2021. Students who participate in in-person extracurricular activities, including sports, face an earlier deadline of Oct. 3 for a first dose of the vaccine and a second dose no later than Oct. 31.
The district, which serves more than 600,000 students, already mandates the vaccine for teachers and staff, requires face coverings to be worn by all, and requires screening tests for all students and staff weekly. Classrooms have been outfitted with enhanced ventilation systems in an effort to decrease the spread of the virus.
District spokesperson Shannon Haber was not able to provide a number on exactly how many students will be affected by Thursday’s decision, but noted than many students have already been inoculated.?Covid-19 vaccines are being provided free of charge to every eligible Californian, and mobile vaccine clinics are visiting every middle and high school in the district.
The mandate will apply to all vaccine eligible students who are going to school in-person and will allow those with “qualified and approved exemptions” to opt out, though the board did not specify the conditions. Students who decline the vaccine and have no exemptions can participate in the Independent Study Program (ISP). Currently, about 15,000 students are enrolled in the ISP, according to board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin.
During Thursday’s meeting, Dr. Richard Pan, a state senator, pediatrician, and district parent advocated for the measure, pushing for “community immunity” to protect the kids that are too young to be eligible for the vaccine. He praised LAUSD for “leading the way” and “following the science to ensure schools are safe.”
President Biden announced plans to reduce costs of Covid-19 testing for Americans, including working with retailers to make at-home Covid-19 test kits available “at-cost.”
Biden added: “This immediate price reduction for?at-home test kits for up to 35%?reduction.?We’ll also expand free testing?at 10,000 pharmacies around the?country, and …?we’re committing $2 billion to?purchase nearly 300 million?rapid tests for distribution to?community health centers, food?banks, schools, so that every?American, no matter their?income, can access free and?convenient tests.”
President Biden said the government is ready to deliver free booster shots to most Americans but only after they have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“While we wait we’ve done our part,” continued Biden, speaking from the White House. “We bought enough boosters, enough booster shots and the distribution system is ready to administer them.”
President Biden just announced a six step plan to stop the spread of the Delta variant and increase vaccinations in the US.
The six-step plan includes:
“The measures, these are going to?take time to have full impact,?but if we implement them, I?believe and the scientists?indicate that the months ahead?we can reduce the number of unvaccinated Americans, decrease?hospitalizations and deaths, and?allow our children to go to?school safely and keep our?economy strong by keeping?businesses open,” Biden said during remarks from the White House.
President Biden made an appeal to Americans who are yet to get vaccinated, urging them to “do the right thing” and get the shot.
Biden stressed that a Covid-19 vaccine has been fully approved by the FDA and has proven to be safe.
“Over 200 million Americans have?gotten at least one shot.?We’ve been patient but our?patience is wearing thin.?Your refusal has cost all of?us.?So please?do?the right thing,” Biden said.
“Listen?to?the voices of?unvaccinated Americans who are?lying in hospital beds, taking?their final breath saying, ‘If only?I had gotten vaccinated.?If only.”?It’s a tragedy.?Please don’t let it become?yours,” the President told Americans.
President Biden said “nearly 80 million Americans” have not yet received a Covid-19 vaccine.
“Instead of encouraging people to?get vaccinated and mask up, they?are ordering mobile morgues for?the unvaccinated for those dying?in our communities.?This is totally unacceptable,” he continued.
Biden said that although the majority of Americans are trying to do the right thing, the portion that aren’t have the potential to cause a lot of damage for everyone.
“I know there’s a lot of?confusion and misinformation,?but the world’s leading?scientists confirm that if?you’re a fully vaccinated, your?risk of severe illness from?Covid-19 is very low,” Biden added.
President Biden, speaking from the White House, said he will sign an executive order requiring all federal workers be vaccinated against Covid-19, with no option of being regularly tested to opt-out of the requirement.
The President said he will also sign an executive order directing the same standard be extended to employees of contractors who do business with the federal government.
The Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Service and National Institutes of Health will also complete their previously announced vaccination requirements, which the White House estimates covers 2.5 million workers.
The new announcements move beyond what Biden announced earlier this summer, when he required federal workers be vaccinated but allowed for those who opted out to be subject to stringent mitigation measures.
The White House has said the federal government should act as a model for other businesses in their own vaccine mandates, and has praised large companies that require employees to be vaccinated.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Kevin Liptak contributed reporting to this post.?
President Biden sought to highlight his administration’s accomplishment in its fight against Covid-19 but also warned of a difficult season ahead as temperatures drop in much of the country.
Biden went on to urge Americans to choose to get vaccinated before announcing new vaccination mandates for federal employees, contractors and others.
“This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” he added. “Please do the right thing.”
President Biden said the US is capable of fighting Covid-19 and the country has made a lot of progress in doing so since he entered the White House.
Biden added: “First, we’ve made considerable?progress in battling Covid-19.?When I became president, about 2?million Americans were fully?vaccinated.?Today over 175 million Americans?have that protection.”
President Biden is speaking about the next phase of his administration’s pandemic response, which will include expanded vaccine mandates for healthcare workers and more measures.
The President is expected to announce a slate of new measures, including a doubling of fines for airline passengers who refuse to mask and a price reduction for at-home rapid tests.
During a background call with reporters earlier this afternoon, officials previewed the announcements the President would make.
Ahead of the speech, officials also said millions of healthcare workers and more than 300,000 educators will be required to be vaccinated against Covid-19. They called it an “expansion” of similar requirements already in place for assisted living home staff.??
The New York City Police Department confirmed Thursday that any employee who does not get vaccinated or provide proof of a recent negative Covid-19 test will not be allowed to work and will not get paid.
In July, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio?announced?that the city’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate would expand to require the entire municipal workforce, including the NYPD, to get vaccinated or start weekly testing by Sept. 13.
De Blasio also previously announced that any new hires for any New York City agencies will be required to be fully vaccinated.?
CNN has reached out to the Police Benevolent Association union for comment.
Last month, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea?sent a message?to members of the NYPD on Friday imploring them to get vaccinated after three members of the department died from Covid-19 in a single week.
By the numbers: As of last month, 47% of the NYPD have had at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and 44% are fully vaccinated.
As CNN previously reported, the NYPD’s vaccination figure only accounts for vaccinations administered by the department and doesn’t account for any potential vaccinations administered elsewhere.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said the state needs more people to get vaccinated as most of the people hospitalized due to Covid-19 are unvaccinated.?
More than 3,800 people are hospitalized with the virus, according to the latest information provided by the state’s health department.?
During a news conference Thursday afternoon, Cooper said the state is “laser focused” on getting people vaccinated.
At least 51% of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated, with 55% receiving at least one shot.?
“The key to ending this pandemic is the vaccine,” Cooper said.
Millions of health care workers and more than 300,000 educators will be required to be vaccinated against Covid-19, senior Biden administration officials said Thursday ahead of the President’s speech.
Fines for airline passengers who refuse to mask up are going to double. At-home rapid tests are going to get cheaper.
Those are among the steps President Biden will announce when he speaks to the country about Covid-19 this afternoon, senior Biden administration officials said.
During a background call with reporters Thursday afternoon, officials previewed the announcements the President will make, in addition to new vaccination requirements for all federal employees.
The new requirements will apply to 17 million healthcare workers across the country, the official said.
They called it an “expansion” of similar requirements already in place for assisted living home staff.??
In addition, Biden will announce that “roughly all of the 300,000 educators in head start programs will be required to be vaccinated,” the official said, adding that the President will also “call on governors to require vaccinations for all school teachers and staff.”
The defense production act will be used to accelerate the production of rapid tests, and the administration is planning to send 25-million free tests to US health clinics. Some retailers, like Amazon, Kroger and Walmart, will sell the at-home tests at cost, the official said.
In addition, the Transportation Safety Administration is going to double fines on passengers who refuse to mask up, the official said.
Violators of the federal transportation face mask requirement already faced a $250 fine that increases for subsequent violations, and can rise up to $1,500 for repeated violations.
The agency already said that sanction amounts could fall outside those ranges “based on substantial aggravating or mitigating factors.
Children have a lower risk of serious symptoms from Covid-19 but are not any less likely than adults to get infected in the first place, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview released Thursday.
“Well, they don’t have a lower infection rate. What they have is a lower seriousness of infection rate. So we’re seeing more children in the hospital now because the Delta variant is more readily transmissible among everybody — adults and children,” Fauci told the New York Times.?
Fauci said it was not unusual for viral infections to be more severe in adults than in children, and it may be linked to differences in immune response.
Fauci said he thinks children and adults have a similar infection rate from Covid-19. ?
“I think that when you’re talking about infection rate, I believe it’s similar. You know, we, there isn’t a direct comparison but given the numbers of children that are getting infected, getting infected is just an exposure situation. There’s no necessarily inherent protection against infection that’s different — except if you’re vaccinated, of course,” he said.
Federal workers will have 75 days to get fully vaccinated or will face losing their jobs, the White House said Thursday, ahead of President Biden’s speech officially announcing the change in policy.?
“There will be limited exceptions for legally recognized reasons such as disability or religious objections,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters during a briefing.?
She said the interagency task force would “provide a ramp up period, and we expect federal employees will have about 75 days to be fully vaccinated. That gives people more than enough time in our view to start and complete their vaccination series.”?
President Biden will acknowledge “the frustration that tens of millions of Americans are feeling across the country” as the pandemic continues to rage, and some Americans still refuse to get vaccinated, when he speaks later today, the White House said.??
Asked by CNN’s Jeff Zeleny about the President’s own frustration level as he prepares to give another speech on fighting Covid-19, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said his speeches “aren’t just words.”?
“What the President is announcing is a series of bold and ambitious steps to address Covid to save more lives to protect more people, and that’s what the American people can expect to hear from him today,” Psaki said. “What he will also acknowledge …is the frustration that 10s of millions of Americans are feeling across the country.”
She said the President would speak to “people who are vaccinated, who are frustrated that they can’t go back to normal.”?
Pressed by Zeleny on why federal employees didn’t have to show proof of vaccination, Psaki said it was an “understandable” question, “but what we’ve been doing and been implementing over the past several weeks is this attestation process, which is still underway. So, we’re still implementing that and we’ll have a better sense once we begin to implement the vaccination requirements.”
She also confirmed the policy only applies to the federal branch of government, not congressional or judicial, and will impact roughly 4 million people.?
The White House is introducing a more strict vaccination policy for federal workers in part due to the Delta variant, press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday, but also because of the need for additional “ambitious” action.?
She added the White House “said at the time that this would be the first of a series of steps so this is the next in that series of steps.”?
“The expectation is if you want to work in the federal government or want to be a contractor, you need to be vaccinated,” Psaki said.?
Asked why the administration was only requiring workers to attest to vaccination – without necessarily showing proof – she said each agency had its own process.?
“Each agency will do it differently,” she said. “Some agencies are will have standards do have standards already have proof of vaccination but different agencies will do it differently.”
More adolescents are receiving Covid-19 vaccinations, and now about 43% of all 12- to 17-year-olds in the United States are fully vaccinated,?according to a CNN analysis of data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Out of the?roughly 25 million 12- to 17-year-olds total in the United States, more than 10 million?are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as of Wednesday.?
And more than half of all adolescents have received at least one dose of vaccine so far.?
Nearly 14 million?or?55% of all 12- to 17-year-olds in the United States completed at least one dose as of Wednesday, the CDC data shows.
In mid-August, about 8 million or 32% of all adolescents ages 12 to 17 were fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Lawyers for Gov. Ron DeSantis have filed an emergency appeal with the First?District Court of Appeals in Florida to reinstate a stay on school mask mandates while the case goes through the court system.?
According to the court document,?DeSantis’ lawyers argue that?they “have a high likelihood of success on appeal. Therefore, the trial court abused its discretion in vacating the automatic stay, and this Court should reinstate the stay pending review.”
On Wednesday afternoon, in Leon County,?Second Circuit Judge John Cooper?ruled against DeSantis’ initial appeal, allowing Florida schools to continue to have mask mandates while the case is appealed at a higher level, CNN previously reported.
DeSantis’ filed the appeal later in the day, arguing?that Cooper’s ruling was incorrect, but also his decision to lift the stay based in part due to harm to children was wrong. They argue there is also harm for the state now that the stay is lifted.
“Presently, there are no active policies in any school district that prohibit students from wearing masks. All of Appellees’ children remain free to wear masks. Maintaining the automatic stay will not prohibit Appellees from masking their children,” the lawyers argued in the 41-page motion.
Attorneys for the parents who are suing have until tonight to file their response to the motion.
The number of first-time claims for jobless benefits dipped to a new pandemic-era low last week. That’s welcome news, and proof that the jobs recovery is still moving in the right direction.
Last week, 310,000 Americans filed for jobless benefits, adjusted for seasonal swings, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
Additionally, 96,198 workers – a figure that is not seasonally adjusted – filed claims under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which provides benefits to those not eligible for regular state aid, such as the self-employed.
But last week’s dip also coincided with the expiration of the enhanced unemployment benefit programs enacted at the start of the pandemic. Although various states had already rolled back some of those benefits over the summer, the federal deadline was the beginning of September.
For millions of unemployed workers that means no more emergency aid.
The effect reduced benefits might have on the labor market is still up for debate. The prior rollbacks in some states did not lead to material changes in the job situation.
In total, nearly 12 million Americans were receiving benefits under various government programs in the week ended Aug. 21.
“In the weeks ahead, seasonal hiring dynamics and the ending of federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance are expected to have an effect on initial claims for jobless benefits and on the overall number of those receiving some form of unemployment insurance,” said Joe Brusuelas chief economist at RSM.
America’s employment situation has improved materially since the start of the pandemic recovery, but the nation still remains more than 5 million jobs below February 2020 levels.
The August monthly jobs report, released Sept. 3, was a major disappointment relative to expectations as the more infectious Delta variant continues to leave its mark on the recovering economy.
The United States has access to the technology needed for widespread testing, but still needs to figure out the distribution of that technology, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins?said this week.
“We’re doing pretty well now in terms of being able to get rapid answers for people who have symptoms where you’re worried about ‘Is this Covid?’ ” Collins said in an interview with Conversations on Health Care?on Wednesday.?
Collins called asymptomatic infection a “diabolical aspect” of Covid-19 which makes testing more important.
“Unless you do that kind of asymptomatic testing, especially in areas where you have a lot of people packed together like schools, you’re going to?miss that. Now, we do have the technologies now to start to do that, but we haven’t really quite figured out how to distribute them,” he said.?
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday that the city is expanding its Covid-19 vaccine mandate to include all city-contracted childcare and after-school staff.
The mandate will include workers at city-run pre-K and preschool programs, as well as after school and home-based childcare.
All city employees working in these settings will need to show proof-of-vaccination for at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by Sept. 27, de Blasio said.
The mayor said the decision to expand the vaccine mandate to include childcare and after-school workers came after discussions with labor unions and leaders in the early childcare field in New York City.
Additionally, the mayor said that in-school vaccinations will be offered at all city schools with students aged 12 and over next week – comprising more than 700 schools across the five boroughs.
In-school vaccination will return to the schools the week of Oct. 4?to administer second doses, de Blasio said.
As the Los Angeles Unified School Board is set to vote on mandating vaccines for all eligible students in the district, board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin said safety is the top priority.
“We imagine by second semester,?our middle school and high?school campuses will be?absolutely even safer than they?are today,” she said.
The board member said that full US Food and Drug Administration approval of a vaccine for 12-to-16-year-olds does not play into the timing of the decision.
She said that students who do not get vaccinated will need to participate in independent study.
“If families choose to do?that, that’s their choice, but?on campus, our decision is that?students and community members?will be as safe as possible.?Independent study is the option?for those who don’t get the?vaccine,” she said.
Los Angeles is the second-largest school district in the US. Ortiz Franklin said that at least an estimated 150,000 vaccine doses would need to be administered.
“But we have the doses in LA?County, and we have the staff?capacity and the time and a week-by-week plan working with our?school staff and our community?partners to get this done by the?end of first semester,” she said.
Watch:
Approximately 23% of Kentucky’ public school districts — 39 of 171 — have had to close at some point during the 2021-22 school year due to an increase in Covid-19 cases, quarantines and/or staff shortages, Joshua Shoulta, a spokesperson for the Kentucky School Boards Association told CNN in a statement Thursday morning.
This marks an increase of five additional school district closures since CNN last reported on the issue Sunday.
Parents who oppose mask mandates laughed at a Tennessee high-schooler while he spoke about his grandma who died of Covid-19 at a school board meeting.
“I’m worried about my family.?If I get Covid, I’m going to?bring it to my family.?I talk to my grandparents a lot.?They’re higher risk than me, so?I don’t want to give them Covid.?This time last year, my?grandmother, who was a former?teacher at the Rutherford County?school system, died of Covid?because someone wasn’t wearing a?mask,” Grady Knox said at the Rutherford County school board meeting in Murfreesboro on Tuesday.
Knox was then interrupted as laughing could be heard from people surrounding him who were sitting with signs that read “Let our kids smile.” An official had to call for quiet and remind them “we’re here to act professional.”
“This is an avoidable issue, and by not wearing masks in schools,?it’s irresponsible.?We’re killing people,” Knox said in his remarks.
On CNN’s “New Day,” Knox said that he felt disconnected in the moment.
Knox now has a message for those who mocked him:
Knox said being in school right now is a “really weird” experience.
“You’ll walk into a class some?days and half the kids will be?gone from contact tracing,?because there’s so many kids?that are getting Covid and so?many kids that sit around with?them,” he said.
His classmate, Will Severn, said that having no mask mandates affects students’ access to education.
“Sometimes they’re hesitant to?report symptoms or contacts?outside of school for fear of?falling behind in class,” Severn said.
Watch:
President Biden on Thursday will impose more stringent vaccine rules on federal workers, and take steps to encourage private businesses to do the same, during a major speech meant to lay out a new approach to combatting coronavirus.
Biden will sign an executive order requiring all federal workers to be vaccinated, with no option of being regularly tested to opt out of the requirement, according to a?source familiar with the plans.?
Biden will also sign an executive order?directing that standard be extended to employees of contractors that do business with the federal government. The?Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Service and National Institute of Health will also complete?their previously announced vaccination requirements, which the White House estimates covers 2.5 million people.?
That is a significant move beyond the requirement Biden announced earlier this summer that required federal workers be vaccinated, but allowed for those who opted out to be subject to stringent mitigation measures.
The White House has said the federal government should act as a model for other businesses in their own vaccine mandates and has praised large companies that require employees to be vaccinated.
Biden on Thursday also plans to announce a major expansion to free testing, a step public health officials have said is critical to containing the virus, particularly as children return to school and some workers return to offices.
And he will address the confusion over booster shots, though will not make any new announcements on when additional doses will be authorized for Americans.
The nation’s second largest public school district is poised to mandate vaccines for all eligible students.
“By the start of spring semester, every student 12 and up who is eligible and doesn’t have an exemption will have received a vaccine, ideally from LA Unified, we’ll be providing it,” said Los Angeles Unified School Board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin to CNN affiliate KCBS/KCAL.
“That’s why there isn’t measles and mumps and rubella in our schools?- because we vaccinate, and we require it, it’s a mandate,” said board member Jackie Goldberg emphatically. “This is a mandate to save lives!”
The school board will vote on the issue in a special meeting scheduled for Thursday.
The mandate would apply to all vaccine eligible students who are going to school in-person and would exclude those?with “qualified and approved exemptions.”
The LAUSD serves over 600,000 students in transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. Currently, students and staff are tested weekly.
President Biden is set to deliver a major speech Thursday on the next steps of his administration’s Covid-19 response.
The speech comes as Biden has seen a significant drop in Americans’ confidence in his handling of the pandemic.?A recent Washington Post-ABC poll?showed it dropped to 52% from 62% in late June.
The administration is juggling how to persuade more Americans to get vaccinated against Covid-19 while working to make a third shot of the vaccine available in the fall, as schools return and cases due to the highly transmissible Delta variant?have been on the rise.
Amid?warnings about the risk of Covid-19?outbreaks occurring again within schools unless mitigation measures are followed, pressure is building for?vaccines to be authorized?for children younger than 12 and for booster shots to begin.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Monday said his state is ready to administer third shots if the federal government would only give the go-ahead.
Biden administration had initially said last month that a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine would be made available for adults later this month. But top health officials?warned the White House?that they may need more time to review all the necessary data before they can recommend booster shots, CNN and other news outlets reported.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” White House chief of staff Ron Klain was?reluctant to give a specific date?as to when booster shots would be made available to the public but committed to waiting for full approval from health officials.
Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration is set to meet Sept. 17 to discuss Covid-19 booster shots.
As for vaccine requirements, the White House has repeatedly said there won’t be a federally mandated vaccine passport but has been pushing other ways to increase vaccination rates.
The Biden administration also already?requires federal workers and government contractors?to attest to being vaccinated — and mandates that certain federal workers be vaccinated – or adhere to strict protocols such as regular testing, while hoping that the private sector will follow its lead.
The President also ordered all nursing homes to require their staff be vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to continue receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding.
President Biden will “outline the next phase in the fight against the virus,” during his Covid-19 remarks on Thursday, the White House said Wednesday.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who noted she was speaking as the President was meeting with his Covid-19 team “to talk about a range of steps,” said Biden would “be specific about what we’re trying to accomplish.”
“We know that increasing vaccinations will stop the spread of the pandemic, we’ll get the pandemic under control. We’ll return people to normal life. That’s what our objective is, so we want to be specific about what we’re trying to achieve,” she continued, adding she would “just note that what you’re going to hear from the President tomorrow is going to build on some of the steps that the President announced over the course of last few months.”
Psaki said the country still has more work to do and is still at war with the virus and the Delta variant. She said Biden is “speaking to it now, because this issue, of course, is on front of mind, top of mind, to Americans across the country.”?
“He’s going to outline the next phase in the fight against the virus and what that looks like, including measures to work with the public and private sector, building on the steps that we’ve already announced.”
Those steps, she said, include requiring more vaccinations, boosting testing measures, and “making it safer for kids to go to school.”
The steps will be implemented over the months ahead, she added.
