Washington (AFP)

Joe Biden this week took the reins of an America ravaged by Covid-19, with more than 400,000 dead.

Assessments, vaccinations, variants: some key data on the health situation of the country he is starting to lead.

- 3,000 counties -

Almost a year to the day after the announcement of the first case of Covid-19 in the United States, the virus has now reached each of 3,000 American counties, and infected more than 24 million people.

But after the epidemic peaked on January 12, the weekly average of new cases is starting to drop, according to data from the Covid Tracking Project.

The death toll follows the same trajectory.

The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, the United States' leading federal public health agency, now expect between 465,000 and 508,000 Americans to have died from Covid-19 by February 13.

- Variants -

But their prediction models are based on a series of assumptions, which could change as the different variants of the virus spread.

The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control estimate the British variant could become the main one circulating in the country by March, at the risk of infections taking off again.

The South African and Brazilian variants, also known to be highly transmissible, have not yet been spotted in the United States, but this may be because of the American shortcomings in monitoring these genomes.

The South African variant, of which it is not yet known how it reacts to vaccines, is of the greatest concern.

- Biden's plan -

In this context, Joe Biden has made the fight against the pandemic the most urgent priority of his mandate.

His administration unveiled on Thursday a detailed roadmap focused on scientific expertise to fight against Covid-19 by increasing vaccinations and screenings.

She also wants to ask for 1.9 trillion funds from Congress, which includes 20 billion for vaccines and 50 billion for tests.

The Democrat has pledged 100 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine to be injected in the first 100 days of his term.

To do this, it will be based on a law authorizing to force private companies to produce certain goods in an emergency, the Defense Production Act.

The country also clings to the hope of the authorization of new vaccines in the coming weeks, including that of Johnson & Johnson, which requires only one dose.

As of Wednesday, 16.5 million Americans had received at least one dose of a vaccine.

- Priority to science -

Many epidemiologists praise Joe Biden for his evidence-centric approach, a stark contrast they say to his predecessor.

And the international community heaved a sigh of relief Thursday when Washington, taking the opposite view of outgoing President Donald Trump, pledged to reconnect with the WHO.

The future director of the Centers for the prevention and fight against diseases, Rochelle Walensky also ordered a study of all the existing directives on Covid-19.

"As of the first day of the Biden administration, there is already a national approach on vaccination, testing, equipment stocks and worker protection. If only we had had this months ago," Leana pointed out. Wen, professor of public health at George Washington University.

© 2021 AFP