Biden Says Americans Can Expect More COVID Restrictions
US asked to consider French passport model: "It’s actually been a success"
President Biden warned Americans to be ready for further restrictions coming along due to the continuing threat of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, at least one political columnist is suggesting that US policymakers consider instituting the kind of vaccine passport plan as the French government put in place in that country.
Asked by a reporter Monday about the possibility of new COVID-19 restrictions coming, Biden replied, “In all probability. And, by the way, we had a good day yesterday, almost a million people got vaccinated. About half a million of those people for the first time — for the second shot. And so, I’m hopeful that people are beginning to realize how essential it is to do.”
New cases of COVID-19 have been surging in recent weeks — particularly among those Americans who refuse to get vaccinated against the illness.
Resistance to the vaccines is largely found among those on the political right.
The spread of misinformation — and outright disinformation — especially among those on the political right has been a major cause of vaccine hesitancy. These falsehoods and misinformation have been spread via social media providers like Facebook, as well as such right-wing television as Fox News.
The Biden administration has been taken a stronger and more-direct stance against such falsehoods in recent weeks.
“The vaccines are very effective at preventing hospitalizations and death, that goes for Delta as well. However, the vaccines are not so good at protecting just infection, not serious infection but just infection,” said Dr Brett Giroir, former assistant secretary for health during the Trump administration. “That means right now we estimate about 35,000 vaccinated people per week are getting breakthrough infections and given the transmissibility that means those 35,000 will transmit it to another 200,000 people. So, it is a different virus.
“Please get vaccinated. If you are not vaccinated and have not had COVID before you will get Delta,” Dr Giroir added, referring to the latest mutation of the novel coronavirus which leads to COVID-19.
However, given the stubborn reluctance of many Americans to vaccinate, US policymakers ought to consider the vaccine passport plan initiated by the French government, according to Edward Luce, Washington DC-based columnist for The Financial Times.
That plan will require a vaccine pass in most places in France as of August 9. Although polling indicates that most French support the initiative, it's led to a number of street demonstrations in protest.
“I think the French protests, these scenes you’ve just shown are a response to President [Emanuel] Macron’s edict in July, a few weeks ago. That's really a mandate, a tough Draconian step, a loss of patience with the unvaccinated, requiring that they show proof of vaccination to enter public places, restaurants, etc, but also that health care workers and others cannot turn up to work unless they show proof of vaccination,” Luce said. “So what you’re seeing there is the backlash to that, but if you measure the overall numbers of French, unvaccinated, who responded to Macron’s edict, it’s actually been a success. Millions and millions more who were waiting on the sidelines have got vaccinated since then and millions more are getting vaccinated. So, overall, it’s actually working. Tough measures do work and it might be worth looking at those numbers here in the United States, you know, where we've kind of hit a plateau.
“It might be worth looking at what France has taken on. Macron's accepted there’s going to be a backlash, but he thinks that backlash is worth it, and I think he’s probably right,” he added.
Do you find this post of value?
Please share it…