This is an honest question and attempt at dialogue. I'm genuinely interested in learning, so no snark, no trolling (at least on my part). I've always been curious about Biden's COVID strategy as he has been very quick to bash Trump's response. As I understand it, Biden gave a speech on this very topic - I did not see it. Can anyone clearly enunciate the differences in Biden's response and what he says he will be doing vs. what Trump did? It certainly helps to have a vaccine.
He'll do national mask mandate and national lock-down. Otherwise---exactly the same as Trump. However, these will be unnecessary since Trump has already solved Wuhan-19.
Here is an article on this subject... Biden's approach to tackling COVID-19 will be dramatically different, and quickly apparent https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...-approach-fighting-covid-pandemic/6061690002/ The day President Donald Trump turns the White House over to Joe Biden, COVID-19 will remain just as big a threat to Americans. But the strategy for tackling it will change dramatically. Public health experts expect a major reset, including a renewed emphasis on science, better communication and efforts to simultaneously boost the economy and public health rather than pitting the two against each other. The shift is expected to be swift once Biden takes office. "The public will immediately notice a vast change in science messaging from the White House," said Lawrence Gostin, director of Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. "The Biden administration will both convey pro-science messages and model the best behavior from among all White House and Cabinet staff." President-elect Biden has long been wearing face coverings and maintaining distance from others while in public, and he has said he plans to continue that practice. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, chair of the department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, said he expects to see changes in role modeling, communications, spending, collaboration with industry – and in just about every other way. "You're going to see a very different approach here," said Emanuel, an oncologist and former health policy adviser in the Obama administration. A Biden administration will be much better at communicating with the public, said Dr. Tom Frieden, who ran the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under President Barack Obama. "Of all the failures – and there are many in this (Trump) administration when it comes to dealing with COVID – the one that I think has been most costly in terms of undermining an effective response is the failure to communicate effectively," said Frieden, now CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative to prevent epidemics and cardiovascular disease. Biden has pledged to put scientists not politicians behind the microphone, make testing widely available and free, expand national surveillance programs, and restore the CDC's real-time dashboard tracking virus-related hospital admissions. He also has promised to quickly launch a national plan to distribute personal protective equipment to health care workers and first responders and ask for clear, national guidance from the CDC on containment, school openings, travel and gatherings. Public health officials, not surprisingly, are far more supportive of Biden's approach than they have been of Trump's. Now, several said, there has to be a process of rebuilding the public health system and the public's faith in it. "If we now prioritize science and public health the way we should have at the beginning, hopefully we can restore some strength to the system," said Dr. Howard Koh, a faculty member at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard Kennedy School, and a former assistant secretary for health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Too many Americans have died unnecessarily during the pandemic, he and others said. "When a loved one dies, that's a tragedy," Koh said. "When a loved one dies from a death that could have been prevented, that's a tragedy that haunts you forever." Communications shift As soon as he takes office, Biden has vowed to restore the type of daily, expert-led briefings that were typical for previous epidemics, such as H1N1 and Zika virus. “One of the first things that will happen will be an unmuzzling of the scientific and technical personnel in the health agencies. We will start seeing the leaders of CDC and FDA being allowed to be on television and to communicate through other means with the public,” said Dr. Eric Toner, a senior scholar with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. When Frieden helped with the government's Ebola response, he held regular news conferences, which he viewed as two-way communications. The journalists learned from him and he learned from them – about what people were thinking and ways he could communicate better, he said. "That's really what has to resume," he said. More than just vaccines Vaccines likely will remain a top priority of the new administration but not the sole priority, as it was under Trump, Emanuel said. "You have to chew gum and walk at the same time," he said. That means other areas such as therapeutics, testing, hospital capacity and personal protective equipment will get more attention, Emanuel said. "Vaccines, it's central, it's fundamental, but it's not the only game in town. Resting everything on one intervention is a mistake." Vivian Ho, a health economist at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine, both in Houston, said she hopes the new administration will put more focus on testing, too. "This is something that has gotten a little bit of traction, but not enough," she said. She said it would be less expensive to spend a few billion dollars giving away hundreds of millions of cheap, rapid tests – which people could take at home, work, school, before entering bars or restaurants or getting on a flight – than even more money to support closed businesses. She agrees that therapies also are crucial. "We actually can keep you from getting hospitalized if you get the virus. That's a great solution until we can get someone vaccinated," she said. Mask mandate Biden has said he would be in favor of requiring every American to wear a mask when in a public place or business. Some question whether the president would have the authority to do that, given the limitations on federal executive power. But Dr. Michael Ewer, a visiting professor in the Health Law and Policy Institute at the University of Houston Law Center, says Biden does. "He has the power to say we will have a more uniform approach to public health measures," Ewer said. There will be people who oppose that, he said, but "do they have a leg to stand on legitimately? The answer is, from a public health standpoint, almost certainly not." The Constitution gives the federal government the power to protect the general welfare, Ewer said, and the courts have generally supported restrictions on individual rights to that end. Seatbelt and no-smoking laws are examples. Reconnecting internationally Biden has said he would rejoin the World Health Organization, which Trump began to withdraw from in July, and reestablish the White House National Security Council Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense, which was eliminated by the Trump administration in 2018. “I think the United States would rejoin WHO on the 21st of January. I think you can put that on your calendar," Toner said. He also expects the United States would strengthen its connections with the United Nations and join in the international effort to get COVID-19 vaccine to low- and middle-income countries. The COVAX initiative is made up of every nation on the globe except the United States, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and five small island countries or micro-states. A pandemic is by definition global, and if it's not controlled everywhere it will continue to reinfect the United States, Toner said. "We should do it not only for moral reasons but out of our own enlightened self-interest. We want to control disease outbreaks in all countries, especially those that don’t have the wherewithal to do it on their own," he said. He also expects that a Biden administration would seek a rapprochement with China, at least in terms of its health system. Organization and coordination Organized, coordinated management of the pandemic also will be a top Biden priority. The new administration consists of "people who know how to mobilize government, people who know how to have government connect to private industry," Emanuel said. Emanuel said he expects the Biden approach will be similar to what presidents Franklin Roosevelt or Lyndon Johnson would have done to respond to the biggest health threat in a century. "They would just create a torrent and whirlwind of task forces: Bring the experts in and let 'em at it," he said. That wouldn't be the most efficient approach, "but would it get across the finish line? Absolutely. They knew how to bring together the full force of the federal government, coordinate with private industry where that was possible, take over things where necessary. That's what you've got to do." Lori Post, director of the Buehler Center for Health Policy and Economics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, hopes Biden's actions will resemble Roosevelt's, who managed to create an office of malaria control even though World War II was raging. Formed in Atlanta, where malaria was then a major problem, the office later became known as the CDC and established the United States as the preeminent source of public health information in the world. Woodrow Wilson, on the other hand, who was president during the 1918 flu outbreak, ignored his advisers and sent infected American soldiers overseas, allowing the virus to spread worldwide. It killed about 50 million people. He caught the flu himself, though he and his doctors lied about his infection, and he never truly recovered, Post said. A tricky transition Although most new administrations avoid directly contradicting their predecessors, Biden already has said he will keep or reinstate Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Trump recently threatened to fire Fauci, who remains one of the most trusted voices in the country on infectious diseases. "Normally a president-elect would be pretty circumspect about what he would say that would contradict the sitting president," Toner said, adding that things might be different this time. "It's sort of tricky because none of the previous rules of political etiquette seem to apply anymore." Although Georgetown's Gostin said the arrival of a vaccine plus Biden's more aggressive approach will reduce COVID-19 infections by late next year, Americans shouldn't expect a rapid turnaround in cases, hospitalizations or deaths. "Sadly, the virus is already too deeply embedded in communities right across the country," he said. "And safe behaviors are already too politically divisive to see uniform and consistent changes in personal behavior." Contact Karen Weintraub at kweintraub@usatoday.com, and Elizabeth Weise at eweise@usatoday.com.
Thanks for this, GWB. Essentially, what I see in summary - and correct me if I am mistaken - is that Biden will tow the accepted line on COVID (not a bad thing, I suppose, as the Presidential press conferences shouldn't be the forum for where challenges are made to "evidence" and "Science"). Additionally, Biden will rejoin the WHO and "reconnect" internationally, which sounds a whole lot like the first two things. The national mask mandate is an interesting one. How does he attempt to enforce such a thing? Its like saying there is a national mandate to wear shoes outside - no more bare feet. How does anyone think the Federal government could enforce such an edict? Or is it just for lip service?
For the mask mandate Biden is trying to work through the governors of the states. He does not believe he has the ability to order a mask mandate from the federal level; he can only order masks be used on federal property or on transportation with some type of federal oversight (planes, trains) I will note one other difference not outlined in the article; Biden has put together a COVID task force of recognized scientific, medical, and public health experts rather than a bunch of political hacks like Donald Trump's task force (ignoring Brix and Fauci who have been excluded from everything for months).
It's looks like a pretty good plan. The following is from his transition site. https://buildbackbetter.com/priorities/covid-19/ The American people deserve an urgent, robust, and professional response to the growing public health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. President-elect Biden believes that the federal government must act swiftly and aggressively to help protect and support our families, small businesses, first responders, and caregivers essential to help us face this challenge, those who are most vulnerable to health and economic impacts, and our broader communities – not to blame others or bail out corporations. The Biden-Harris administration will always: Listen to science Ensure public health decisions are informed by public health professionals Promote trust, transparency, common purpose, and accountability in our government President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris have a seven-point plan to beat COVID-19. Ensure all Americans have access to regular, reliable, and free testing. Double the number of drive-through testing sites. Invest in next-generation testing, including at home tests and instant tests, so we can scale up our testing capacity by orders of magnitude. Stand up a Pandemic Testing Board like Roosevelt’s War Production Board. It’s how we produced tanks, planes, uniforms, and supplies in record time, and it’s how we will produce and distribute tens of millions of tests. Establish a U.S. Public Health Jobs Corps to mobilize at least 100,000 Americans across the country with support from trusted local organizations in communities most at risk to perform culturally competent approaches to contact tracing and protecting at-risk populations. Fix personal protective equipment (PPE) problems for good. President-elect Joe Biden is taking responsibility and giving states, cities, tribes, and territories the critical supplies they need. Fully use the Defense Production Act to ramp up production of masks, face shields, and other PPE so that the national supply of personal protective equipment exceeds demand and our stores and stockpiles — especially in hard-hit areas that serve disproportionately vulnerable populations — are fully replenished. Build immediately toward a future, flexible American-sourced and manufactured capability to ensure we are not dependent on other countries in a crisis. Provide clear, consistent, evidence-based guidance for how communities should navigate the pandemic – and the resources for schools, small businesses, and families to make it through. Social distancing is not a light switch. It is a dial. President-elect Biden will direct the CDC to provide specific evidence-based guidance for how to turn the dial up or down relative to the level of risk and degree of viral spread in a community, including when to open or close certain businesses, bars, restaurants, and other spaces; when to open or close schools, and what steps they need to take to make classrooms and facilities safe; appropriate restrictions on size of gatherings; when to issue stay-at-home restrictions. Establish a renewable fund for state and local governments to help prevent budget shortfalls, which may cause states to face steep cuts to teachers and first responders. Call on Congress to pass an emergency package to ensure schools have the additional resources they need to adapt effectively to COVID-19. Provide a “restart package” that helps small businesses cover the costs of operating safely, including things like plexiglass and PPE. Plan for the effective, equitable distribution of treatments and vaccines — because development isn’t enough if they aren’t effectively distributed. Invest $25 billion in a vaccine manufacturing and distribution plan that will guarantee it gets to every American, cost-free. Ensure that politics plays no role in determining the safety and efficacy of any vaccine. The following 3 principles will guide the Biden-Harris administration: Put scientists in charge of all decisions on safety and efficacy; publicly release clinical data for any vaccine the FDA approves; and authorize career staff to write a written report for public review and permit them to appear before Congress and speak publicly uncensored. Ensure everyone — not just the wealthy and well-connected — in America receives the protection and care they deserve, and consumers are not price gouged as new drugs and therapies come to market. Protect older Americans and others at high risk. President-elect Biden understands that older Americans and others at high-risk are most vulnerable to COVID-19. Establish a COVID-19 Racial and Ethnic Disparities Task Force, as proposed by Vice President-elect Harris, to provide recommendations and oversight on disparities in the public health and economic response. At the end of this health crisis, it will transition to a permanent Infectious Disease Racial Disparities Task Force. Create the Nationwide Pandemic Dashboard that Americans can check in real-time to help them gauge whether local transmission is actively occurring in their zip codes. This information is critical to helping all individuals, but especially older Americans and others at high risk, understand what level of precaution to take. Rebuild and expand defenses to predict, prevent, and mitigate pandemic threats, including those coming from China. Immediately restore the White House National Security Council Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense, originally established by the Obama-Biden administration. Immediately restore our relationship with the World Health Organization, which — while not perfect — is essential to coordinating a global response during a pandemic. Re-launch and strengthen U.S. Agency for International Development’s pathogen-tracking program called PREDICT. Expand the number of CDC’s deployed disease detectives so we have eyes and ears on the ground, including rebuilding the office in Beijing. Implement mask mandates nationwide by working with governors and mayors and by asking the American people to do what they do best: step up in a time of crisis. Experts agree that tens of thousands of lives can be saved if Americans wear masks. President-elect Biden will continue to call on: Every American to wear a mask when they are around people outside their household. Every Governor to make that mandatory in their state. Local authorities to also make it mandatory to buttress their state orders. Once we succeed in getting beyond this pandemic, we must ensure that the millions of Americans who suffer long-term side effects from COVID don’t face higher premiums or denial of health insurance because of this new pre-existing condition. The Biden-Harris Administration will work to ensure that the protections for those with pre-existing conditions that were won with Obamacare are protected. And, they will work to lower health care costs and expand access to quality, affordable health care through a Medicare-like public option.
Let's see what happens when Pence shows up for his first coronavirus task force meeting in months... "Like cleaning the house before the maid comes over so she doesn't see how much of a slob you are, Pence and his coronavirus task force meet before the adults come over and see how little work they actually did." Vice President Pence meets with Coronavirus Task Force on Monday Vice President Mike Pence tweeted some photos of Monday's coronavirus task force meeting. https://www.kitv.com/story/42887922/vice-president-pence-meets-with-coronavirus-task-force-on-monday
I read the website. Just seemed like a lot of nice platitudes with very little meaty substance. For example: Protect older Americans and others at high risk. Yes, that is wonderful. But what is going to be done differently? A national pandemic board is going to accomplish this? Ensure all Americans have access to regular, reliable, and free testing. There is free testing anywhere I want to go. What changes?
Biden will focus on behavioral and population persuading stuff....ie. masks, distancing. Whereas Trump focused on the vaccine. Trump focused on a message of hope and getting through this and a vaccine is coming through. Biden will focus on dark winters and how we are all going to die as a result of Trump and that any problems with continuing covid in the Biden era are due to Trump. Nevermind that the rest of the world is up to its arse in covid. Thus Biden will do the social convincing stuff, and discredit Trump's work on accelerating the vaccine, but then take credit for it by saying that he and the experts fixed everything wrong with the vaccine and the roll-out. Trump focused on moving things ahead regardless of what experts said. That helped him in some areas and hurt him in others. Biden absolutely will never, and I mean, never, have a view or a position that has not been developed elsewhere and handed to him. This is true in all areas, especially international affairs. Biden is rushing at lightening speed to sign up for every international committee, commission, treaty etc that he can find. We will be lucky if he does not sign us up to join the EU. Sounds like I digressed from the covid thing a little. Not really. I am underscoring that, unlike Trump, when Biden is in office, you look to the handlers and other countries to see what will determine the President's thinking. We will rejoin WHO and we will pay four times what China does in order to have them tell us what our response should be to the virus they unleashed on us- but if that is what the UN wants, that is how it will be. Not necessarily so under Trump.