President Biden said the exodus of millions of women from the workforce and the closure of schools – along with the mental health problems for children that can arise – during the Covid-19 pandemic constitute a “national emergency.”
Norah O’Donnell, anchor and editor-in-chief of the CBS Evening News, spoke to Mr. Biden in the first network news interview he’s delivered since his inauguration.
‘It’s a national emergency. It really is a national emergency, ”said Mr Biden. Almost 3 million women left the workforce last year.
The president said he and his staff realized the Trump administration’s handling of the pandemic was “even worse than we thought” when they entered the White House.
CBS News
“We thought they had indicated that there was a lot more vaccine available,” said Mr Biden. And that turned out not to be the case. That’s why we stepped up in every possible way. ‘
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Mr. Biden’s chief medical adviser and the best infectious disease physician in the country, has said 75% of Americans must be vaccinated to gain immunity to the herd. At the current rate of 1.3 million vaccines per day, CBS News has calculated that 75% of Americans will not be vaccinated until the end of 2021.
“We can’t wait that long,” said Mr. Biden.
In an example of the revival, Mr. Biden said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told him the administration could use all 32 stadiums as vaccination sites.
“Are you going to use them, NFL stadiums to vaccinate?” O’Donnell asked.
“Absolutely,” said Mr. Biden. “And, I mean, let me put it this way – I tell my team they are available and I believe we will use them. See, it was one thing if we had enough vaccine, which we didn’t. to have more vaccines produced. ‘
“You’re President of the United States, Commander in Chief. Can you do something in terms of going to Moderna, going to Pfizer and saying we need more production? ‘ O’Donnell asked.
‘Yes. I think, because we’ve already done it, ”said Mr. Biden. “But the idea that this is possible and that we can get a lot of immunity before the end of next summer is very difficult.”
Mr. Biden agreed with O’Donnell that there is a mental health emergency with children not attending school.
“Do you think it’s time for schools to reopen?” O’Donnell asked.
‘I think it is time for schools to reopen safely. Safe, ”said Mr Biden. “You need fewer people in the classroom. You need ventilation systems that have been reworked. Our CDC commissioner will come out with a scientifically substantiated judgment, inside I think Wednesday to explain what the minimum requirements are.”
On Mr. Biden’s first day, he signed an executive order to give priority to reopening schools within the first 100 days at the office. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are expected to release guidelines for reopening schools this week.
“One of the things we need to do to make sure schools are safe is to reduce the spread of this disease throughout the community and that means our responsibility is to work to get our children back to school safely. and get our teachers back to school safely, ”CDC director Rochelle Walensky said Friday.
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