INTERNATIONAL: President Joe Biden has sought to reassure Americans on Monday that the United States was prepared to handle the new COVID-19 Omicron variant, pledging to accelerate development of vaccines to handle it if necessary.
"This variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic," Biden has said in remarks at the White House following a meeting with his COVID-19 team.
There are three messages about the new variant that U.S. President Joe Biden has shared to the American people to hear. First, this variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic.
President Biden has reminded the people that the vaccines will continue to provide a degree of protection against severe disease. And as additional protections, he has urged the people to wear their mask even when they are indoors, in public settings, around other people. It will surely protect everyone.
Third, in the event -- hopefully unlikely -- that updated vaccinations or boosters are needed to respond to the new variant, U.S. must accelerate their development and deployment with every available tool. He further says, U.S. government do not believe that additional measures will be needed. But assured the people that United States is prepared if needed, they contacted a team who is already working with officials at Pfizer and Moderna and Johnson & Johnson to develop contingency plans for vaccines or boosters if needed.
He says he will also direct the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) to use the fastest process available -- without cutting any corners for safety -- against such vaccines approved on the market if needed.
He is has reminded everyone, a year ago, America was floundering against the first variant of COVID. He proudly says that America beat that variant significantly and then U.S. got hit by a far more powerful threat, the Delta variant. The government has worked hard to combat this as well. And as authorities learn more, they're going to share that information with the American people candidly and promptly.
His says his team at the White House will provide him with daily updates this week and on Thursday President Joe Biden will be putting forward a detailed strategy outlining how US is going to fight COVID this winter. Not with shutdowns or lockdowns, but with more widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing and more."
U.S. President was quoted as saying, “We've moved forward in the face of COVID-19. We have moved forward in the face of the Delta variant. And we move forward now in the face of the Omicron variant as well."
