The attitude of the earlier administration towards Coronavirus has given rise to a serious situation. There is an increase in the number of infected as well as the dead. This could be attributed to a lack of seriousness on the Trump administration and disregard for basic medical advice. It was in July last year that Donald Trump agreed to wear a facemask to fight coronavirus.
People attended official programs without wearing these protective covers or maintaining a safe distance from others. President Joe Biden wants to change that line of thinking. He wants to impart urgency to this all-important issue and tackle it on a war footing. It is high on his agenda. During an open discussion at a town hall, he assigned priority to the vaccination of teachers. He knows such an action would create a safe environment. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC issued guidelines for the reopening of schools. It has specified some coronavirus mitigation strategies in schools against the highly contagious disease.
His words were - "I think that we should be vaccinating teachers. We should move them up in the hierarchy."
CNN says President Joe Biden explained to high school teachers how best to conduct classes safely. He also dwelt on the aspect of whether vaccination was necessary before teachers returned to class. He said officials do not suggest the resumption of large classes at this moment. The need is for "smaller classes, more ventilation, making sure that everybody has masks and is socially distanced." They must abide by the standard safety drill of facemasks and social distancing. These must apply to everyone associated with the school and its students. All of them must be included in the list of preferred persons to get a vaccination.
Vaccination of teachers and reopening of schools linked to coronavirus
Joe Biden conducted his first town hall meeting since becoming President. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he fielded questions on vaccination of teachers and reopening of schools. These were among questions on a wide range of subjects he faced. His audience was curious to know his strategy on the reopening of schools. CNN adds that some states are allowing members of the teaching staff to get vaccinated against coronavirus. The President wants to allot priority to this aspect when it comes to returning to class. In January, San Francisco eased restrictions because of a drop in coronavirus infection.
Five key coronavirus mitigation strategies of the CDC
CNN goes on to add last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC issued guidelines for reopening schools. It has specified some coronavirus mitigation strategies. For individuals, these include wearing masks, maintaining physical distancing, and frequent washing of hands. Others include cleaning facilities and improving ventilation apart from contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine. The CDC feels vaccines and testing do not fall in the category of the "key" strategies. It treats them as "additional layers" of prevention. Experts have their own opinions on the subject, but President Biden is clear in his mind on the best option.
Recently, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds lifted coronavirus restrictions.
Enough coronavirus vaccines by the end of July
According to USA Today, in a town hall meeting, President Joe Biden said - "By the end of July, we'll have over 600 million doses, enough to vaccinate every single American." The U.S. is ramping up vaccinations. Last week, the authorities administered an average of 1.7 million doses daily. This was considerably more than the million doses a day in mid-January. The White House says the number could go up to 1.9 million this week. However, the winter weather leads to delays in receipt of supplies, affecting the vaccination schedules. The delay forced some vaccination sites to cancel appointments.
Jeff Zients is the White House COVID-19 response coordinator. He is aware of the impact on the distribution and delivery of vaccines because of the weather. He said - "We want to make sure, as we've lost some time in some states for people to get needles in arms, that our partners do all they can to make up that lost ground."