President Joe Biden poses for a photo after visiting King Orchards Fruit Farm in Central Lake, Mich., on Saturday, July 3, 2021.
After nearly six months in office, battling a pandemic every step of the way, President Joe Biden was determined to party.
“It’s a holiday weekend,” Biden announced Friday as he touted “negative” questions from reporters about the ongoing US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, “I’m going to celebrate it.”
After 16 months of disruption in the pandemic and more than 605,000 deaths, Biden wants Americans to celebrate as well. The White House encouraged celebrations and fireworks displays across the country – as if ripped from a Hollywood script – to “freedom” the country from the virus.
And there’s much to cheer: Cases and deaths from COVID-19 are at or near record levels since the outbreak began, thanks to the robust US vaccination program. Businesses and restaurants are open, hiring is on the rise and travel is approaching pre-pandemic levels.
Even so, it’s hardly a “mission accomplished” moment. More than 200 Americans still die every day from COVID-19, a more contagious form of the virus is spreading rapidly at home and abroad, and millions of Americans have opted not to receive life-saving vaccines.
An infectious disease physician at the John Cochran VA Medical Center and the St. Louis Board of Health, Dr. “If you have the vaccine, you’re doing great,” said Mati Halatsweo Davies. “If you don’t have the vaccine, you should be concerned and that’s just the bottom line, there’s no easy way to cut it.”
“But that doesn’t take away from the fact that this country is in a much better place,” she said.
Biden, who is set to host the biggest event of his presidency ever on the South Lawn of the White House, sees it as a long-awaited opportunity to highlight the success of the vaccination campaign . It will be the clearest sign yet that the US has moved into a new phase of virus response, shifting from a national emergency to a local crisis of personal responsibility and from immunizing Americans to promoting global health. is.
“The Fourth of July of this year is different from the Fourth of July last year,” Biden said on Friday. “And it’s going to be better next year.”
President Joe Biden tastes ice cream at Mummers Homemade Ice Cream in Traverse City, Mich., Saturday, July 3, 2021.
Top officials in the Biden administration campaigned across the country over the weekend to promote a widely improved virus situation under the “America’s Back Together” banner.
Never mind that the President has met with great fanfare the vaccination target set for the fourth.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Biden had expected to vaccinate 70% of the adult population by Sunday, but saw up to about 67%. Officials stressed that the miss would have little practical impact on Americans’ ability to mark the Independence Day holiday.
Of greater concern to him is the emergence of two distinct realities in the US: the gap between heavily vaccinated communities where the virus is dying out and less-vaccinated ones where new delta versions are already taking hold.
Vaccination rates in nearly 1,000 counties are below 30%, and the federal government is warning they could become the next hot spots as virus restrictions ease.
The administration is sending “surge” teams to Colorado and Missouri. Additional squads of infectious disease specialists, public health professionals and doctors and nurses are preparing to assist in additional locations with a combination of low vaccination rates and rising cases.
Overall, the vastly improved US scenario stands in contrast to much of the rest of the world, with vast vaccine deserts and widespread community spread that could open the door to even more dangerous forms. The Biden administration is increasingly turning to the federal response to the complicated logistics of sending additional US vaccines abroad in an effort to assist other countries in defeating the pandemic.
With demand for vaccines in the US plummeting despite being widely available for months, and governments and businesses jeopardizing a range of incentives on Americans to get a shot, officials are stressing that the consequences of the disease now largely reflect individual choices that have not yet been vaccinated.
“The pain and loss we are seeing now is almost entirely avoidable,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Valensky.
When asked about the potential risks of holding gatherings around the Fourth of July in areas where there are large numbers of unvaccinated individuals, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that “if individuals in those areas are vaccinated If so, they are safe.”
The White House said at least 1,000 members and first responders were expected to come to the South Lawn to watch the cookout and fireworks. Jeff Ziants, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, said in a televised interview Sunday, and outdoor programming “is being done the right way” “consistent” with CDC guidelines. The White House did not require vaccinations, but was asking guests to undergo a COVID-19 test and wear masks if not fully vaccinated.
“With so much work to do, it’s important to celebrate the victory,” Davis said. “As long as we wake up the next day and continue to go to work and prioritize equity in vaccine delivery, we are fine with those pockets of joy and celebration.”
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