|
 Biden offered both a warning to the unvaccinated, who he said have
"good reason to be concerned," and reassurance that those who are
inoculated can gather for the holidays despite the new variant
sweeping the country.
"No this is not March of 2020," Biden told reporters at the White
House. "Two hundred million people are fully vaccinated, we're
prepared, we know more."
Biden's remarks came as some cities and states imposed new measures
aimed at protecting the public, including stricter vaccine mandates.
Striking a dire tone about the risks to the one-in-four American
adults who are not fully vaccinated, Biden said they "have a
significantly higher risk of ending up in the hospital or even
dying."
Biden noted that former President Donald Trump has also received his
booster shot. "Maybe one of the few things he and I agree on," he
said.
The measures laid out on Tuesday include activating new pop-up
vaccination clinics run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency
and federal testing sites starting this week, including in hot spot
New York City.
Biden also said that some 1,000 military doctors, nurses and medics
have been deployed to support hospitals already being overwhelmed by
COVID-19 patients in some areas.
Biden's pandemic response has been criticized for focusing on
vaccines at the detriment of testing and masking, and for
underestimating the impact of the anti-vaccine movement in the
United States.
In his speech, Biden said Americans had a patriotic duty to get
vaccinated and called out social media companies and TV networks for
"peddling lies and allowing misinformation that can kill their own
customers."
The new federal measures will not be fully in place by Christmas,
leaving many Americans scrambling to find available tests ahead of
holiday gatherings and travel - and confused about whether it is
safe to press ahead with their plans.
The Omicron variant, which was first detected last month and now
accounts for 73% of U.S. cases, is causing infections to double in
1.5 to 3 days, according to the World Health Organization. It is not
yet known whether it causes more serious illness than the Delta
variant.
The rapid rise of infections is once again disrupting life across
the country, canceling events from Broadway shows to professional
sports.
In New York, Washington and other U.S. cities there were long lines
for COVID-19 tests as people sought to find out if they were
infected before celebrating the holidays.
[to top of second column] |
 "If I don’t, I could take a chance of sending it
home to my family, and I’m not trying to do
that," said Ronald Tives as he lined up in
Washington's Farragut Square on Tuesday.
$100 FOR A BOOSTER IN NYC
With new infections spiking, local officials are
also taking steps to encourage vaccinations,
including boosters, and increase testing and
mitigation measures.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on
Tuesday a $100 incentive for residents who get a
COVID-19 vaccine booster at city-run sites by
the end of the year.
The city's public hospitals said they would ban
most visitors. Starting on Wednesday, only
hospitalized infants and children, women in
labor and dying patients can have visitors. They
must be fully vaccinated or show a negative
COVID-19 test from the past 48 hours. The city
earlier said tests would be required from the
past 24 hours.
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom said on
Twitter that all healthcare workers would be
required to receive booster vaccines. The state
is expected to announce additional measures on
Wednesday.
Chicago will require patrons to present proof of
COVID-19 vaccinations for entry to restaurants,
bars, gyms and some other indoor spaces,
effective Jan. 3, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said on
Tuesday.
Biden noted that the Omicron variant is so
contagious that it will infect vaccinated
Americans but that they will be far less likely
to become seriously ill.
These breakthrough infections are rising among
the 61% of the country's fully vaccinated
population, including the 30% who have gotten
booster shots.
Still, Biden told Americans that those who are
vaccinated and follow guidance around using
masks, especially while traveling, should feel
comfortable celebrating the holidays as planned.
New COVID-19 cases rose 19% in the United States
in the past week and are up 72% since the start
of December, according to a Reuters tally.
The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has
increased 27% this month, with hospitals in some
areas already strained by the Delta variant that
emerged earlier this year.
There have been more than 51 million infections
and 810,000 coronavirus-related deaths reported
in the United States since the pandemic began,
the most of any country.
(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw and Ahmed
Aboulenein; Additional reporting by Lisa
Shumaker and Sharon Bernstein; Writing by Maria
Caspani; Editing by Peter Cooney, Bill Berkrot,
Sonya Hepinstall, Cynthia Osterman and Himani
Sarkar)
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