(Fighting against New Coronary Pneumonia) Biden announced a "whole government" response to the epidemic: equal emphasis on vaccines, testing, and masks
China News Agency, Washington, January 13 (Reporter Chen Mengtong) "Vaccination is obviously the most important work in the United States' current epidemic prevention, but it is not the only important thing." US President Biden said at the White House on the 13th that the federal government will increase Supply of rapid testing reagents and masks to deal with the spread of the Ormicon strain in the United States.
Since December 2021, the Omicron strain has accelerated in the United States, and core data such as new cases and deaths in the United States have rebounded sharply.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of 13:00 on the 13th, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of new crowns in the United States reached 63.52 million, with 845,000 deaths.
Among them, the number of new cases in a single day on January 10 reached a record 1.483 million.
"As we enter the new year, we are all depressed." Biden said of the epidemic, the Omicron strain has infected millions of people in the United States and caused a record number of severe cases, "The United States is still in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic."
He said that nearly 210 million people in the United States have been fully vaccinated against the new crown, "but as long as tens of millions of people are not vaccinated, the United States will have overcrowded hospitals and unnecessary deaths."
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of the 12th, 208 million people in the United States have been fully vaccinated against the new crown, accounting for about 62.7% of the total population.
Of these, 77.1 million received booster shots.
Biden said that in addition to continuing the vaccination effort, it is equally important to strengthen virus testing and wear masks.
The federal government will purchase an additional 500 million new rapid test kits to meet future testing needs.
Meanwhile, the White House will announce plans next week to provide free high-quality masks to the American public.
With the surge in demand for testing caused by the rebound of the epidemic, the Biden administration announced in December last year that it would purchase 500 million new crown rapid test kits to deal with the shortage of new crown virus testing supplies.
Biden also said on the same day that he would send an additional federal medical team of more than 120 people to 6 states including Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Rhode Island, which are severely affected by the epidemic, to ease the pressure on local medical institutions.
"It's been a long road, but one thing is clear, getting through this crisis requires everyone to do their part," Biden said at the end. "If you haven't been vaccinated, get vaccinated. Personal choice. Affects everyone, including our hospitals and our country. The coronavirus is one of the most terrifying enemies America has ever faced.” (End)