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Analysis: Biden moves to reassure Americans weary of growing fears of new Covid variant

Much remains unclear about the transmissibility of the new variant and how effective the vaccine will be in protecting Americans against it, but the administration is trying to take a more proactive stance than it has taken. did this summer when they appeared to have been caught by the highly contagious Delta Variant, which now accounts for the majority of cases in the United States – and has scuppered Biden’s efforts to accelerate the country’s return to normalcy. normal state during the first year of his term.

In haste to turn the page before the pandemic, Biden predicted a “free summer” at the same time the Delta variant is taking hold across the US and has gone far. to declare that the United States has “closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus” at a July 4 event. With those missteps, Biden spent Sunday evening discussing with advisors and plan to talk Monday about the situation. He was quick to announce the new travel restrictions on Friday after the World Health Organization labeled Omicron a “worrying variant,” a signal the White House was considering the new variant for the first time. first identified by scientists in South Africa.

However, travel bans may offer little comfort to Americans due to widespread debate among public health officials about their effectiveness. Anxiety over this new Covid threat is especially heightened after a week of heavy travel and the Thanksgiving break that provides a fleeting sense that the country is returning to normal. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Americans set a pandemic-era air travel record with the Transportation Security Administration reporting that it screened 2.3 million passengers at airports. airport only that day.

Canadian health officials confirmed the country’s first two cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in Ottawa on Sunday. Germany and the UK have also confirmed cases within their borders and on Sunday UK officials announced that face coverings will be mandatory at shops and public transport, while all travelers returning to the UK will have to undergo PCR testing for Covid-19.

Scientists are particularly interested in the fact that Omicron has more than 30 mutations in a part of the virus called a mutant protein, a structure the coronavirus uses to get into the cells it attacks – raising fears it could evade protections provided provided by vaccines currently available in the United States.

The uncertainty surrounding the new variant has served as another setback for Biden and for the Democratic-controlled Congress, which reckons their political success in next year’s election will be in part. show that they have successfully brought the country out of the pandemic. Biden’s poll numbers fell amid concerns about the economy, rising inflation and a supply chain crisis – but eroding Americans’ confidence in his handling of Covid-19 was particularly notable because it was once the area in which voters gave him the highest marks.

As he seeks to restore confidence in the administration’s handling of Covid, Biden’s biggest challenges may be the stubborn resistance of some 60 million still-unvaccinated American adults and polarization. politics around the tools at his disposal, including vaccination and mask mandates.

Public health officials expressed urgency as recently as Sunday about the need for unvaccinated Americans to get vaccinated — and who are eligible to get booster shots. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, has warned that Omicron may already be present in the United States. On Sunday’s NBC show “Meet The Press,” Fauci called the threat of the new variant “a clear call” to the country “to put aside all the differences we have. and say if you’re not vaccinated, get vaccinated; if you’re fully vaccinated, get a boost; and get kids vaccinated.”

Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, admit that many Americans feels exhausted with pandemic mitigation strategies like face coverings and social distancing, but he says it’s time to redouble those efforts and watch out for complacency in the face of a new threat.

“We had to use every kind of tool in our toolbox to keep (Omicron) from getting into a situation that would make this worse,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.” Sunday, added that officials are working with vaccine manufacturers to try to assess their effectiveness against the new strain of bacteria. “There’s no reason to panic. But it’s a great reason to energize.”

Many unanswered questions remain

Moderna Chief Medical Officer Dr. Paul Burton said Sunday that Americans should prepare for several weeks of uncertainty as scientists and vaccine manufacturers investigate the transmissibility of the new variant, the extent of disease it causes and whether antibodies are produced in response to current vaccines. will be effective in hindering it.

Moderna is exploring the possibility of boosting the Omicron-specific vaccine if it becomes necessary, Burton said.

“This is a virus that currently has at least 50 mutations, many of which span from the previous variants that we’re interested in, Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. At least 30 mutations in the mutant protein alone. which we know leads to immune evasion and escape, and Burton said on CNN’s “Newsroom.” “This is a new wrench that has been brought into the fight against Covid.”

Dr Ashish Jha, Dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, has warned that data on the new variant’s transmissibility so far looks “disturbing”, in part because It has rapidly grown in South Africa. He warned in a guest essay in The New York Times this weekend that there is no time to waste, because if it “becomes contagious and immune to avoidance like many experts, worried people might have to wait until all the facts have been proven, leaving us hopelessly left behind.”

In an interview on CNN’s “Inside Politics” on Sunday, he explained that “we see all of these mutations in mutated proteins in regions where vaccines and their immune systems are affected.” I’m targeting – and that’s got a lot of us concerned about immune dodging. We don’t think our vaccine is going to be useless, but at the same time, we don’t know the vaccine. how much will be affected,” he said.

Jha thinks the impact of the travel ban on foreign nationals from eight African countries will be “modest at best” and urges the Biden administration to step up genomic surveillance, work with manufacturers vaccines to create Omicron-specific vaccines and spur more vigorous efforts to get more people vaccinated in Africa.

Dr Leana Wen, CNN health analyst and former Baltimore health commissioner, said she believes travel restrictions for eight countries are necessary but added that the Biden administration should go even further. by isolating and re-testing all international travelers. She added, as the US allows permanent residents and US citizens to return from African countries affected by the restrictions, they should also be asked to retest and quarantine to prevent the variant from spreading. orchid.

“Otherwise, there were just too many holes and we didn’t really accomplish our goal, which was to stop Omicron and try to stop it from entering this country, realizing that it could have been in the US.” , she said.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has issued his harshest criticism of the travel ban enforced by the US and other countries.

“These restrictions are completely unreasonable and unfairly discriminatory against our country and our South African sister countries,” Ramaphosa said in a statement Sunday. “Travel bans are not informed by science, nor will they be effective in stopping the spread of this variant. The only thing a travel ban will cause further damage to the economy is economy of affected countries and undermine their ability to respond to and also to recover from the pandemic.”

Biden on Monday will have to respond to those criticisms and whether there are more effective steps he can pursue to combat the new variation as he faces a nation searching for answers. are not.

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