Here's How Biden Would Fight the COVID-19 Pandemic in US
With his projected presidential win, former Vice President Joe Biden is now planning his move on how best to fight the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.
These plans include designating several public health and government experts to craft a new path for the COVID-19 pandemic. It also includes increasing the number of testing sites and allotting funds for rapid at-home tests.
According to an ABC News report, he would need to create a new pandemic testing model board to possibly enact this, which was modeled after President Franklin D. Roosevelt's war production board. Biden said he also wants a "nationwide pandemic dashboard."
The said dashboard will let Americans monitor virus transmission in their zip code. This work is currently imposed on the local level. However, this is often difficult to find and understand.
Biden is also planning to mobilize at least 100,000 Americans to help in contact tracing and protecting at-risk populations. A separate task force will be used to focus on racial and ethnic disparities.
According to a report in The New York Times, Biden said during his victory speech on Saturday that he would reveal a COVID-19 task force on Monday.
"Our work begins with getting Covid under control," Biden said in the report.
Biden is seen to name three co-chairs of the 12-member panel that will include Vivek Murthy, a former surgeon general who has been a key Biden advisor for months. Murthy is seen to take a major public role.
David Kessler is also being expected to be named as co-chairs of the coronavirus working group, as well as Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, who is a Yale University professor. Kessler is a former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Related story: Five Key Points in Joe Biden's Economic Plans After Election
Mask Mandates
Biden's first priorities as president-elect will be implementing mask mandates nationwide, which could be done by working with the country's governors.
Biden said if governors should refuse, he will go to mayors and county executives and get local mask mandates in place.
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel said that masks should be worn properly, both outdoors and indoors, when people are too close together.
Siegel noted that this approach might have the opposite effect of what the administration has been eyeing. Siegel added that masks are helpful, but they are not the be-all and end-all solution.
"I'm worried that mandating this with fines and such may actually lead to more of a rebellion against it," Siegel said in a Fox News report.
Siegel further explained that the use of masks should be determined based on how the risk of exposure to the pandemic is in a specific area.
Siegel said that as for social distancing, he said it should be something that they should be doing right now as one can never know how much virus was in the community.
Related story: Fact Check: Do Face Masks Really Prevent COVID-19 Transmission and Reduce Oxygen Levels?
The medical contributor said he believes that physical distancing is more important in lowering the number of cases than mask mandates.
"If you're 10 feet away from someone, you're not going to get the virus. If you're one foot away with a mask, you might," Siegel noted in a report.
Paid Sick Leave
Biden's plan also includes an emergency paid leave for those who are affected by the outbreak.
According to Joe Biden's website, this would give the necessary help to workers, families, and small businesses that are massively affected by the pandemic.
Some experts claimed that it could help curb the rising number of COVID-19 cases and benefit many workers even if the COVID-19 is already under control, according to a Yahoo News report.
Due to a lack of mandated paid leave, around 20 million Americans were left to choose between their income and health. It is people in low-paying jobs who suffer the most. Most of the time, these workers are women and people of color.
Maya Rossin-Slater said that to mitigate the spread, you may want to stay home, adding that it may mean not going to your workplace for more than just a few days,
She added that having a temporary medical leave policy would enable people to stay at home, as reported by Yahoo News. Slater is an assistant professor at Stanford University.
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