Between election day, Tuesday, November 3, 2020, and Christmas day, Friday, December 25, 2020, there have been nearly 91,000 deaths nationwide. Averaged out, that’s 1,814 deaths per day or 1.25 people killed by COVID per minute. It’s safe to say, this is not a hoax and is something that needs government attention to curb the death and disease caused by this terrible virus. At this point, any change will be a good change — but what does President-Elect Biden plan to do? Keep reading to know what the new pandemic policies surrounding this pandemic could look like.

Why We Need a Plan

On Friday, November 6, after Election day, President-Elect Biden said "The pandemic is getting significantly more worrisome all across the country." Trying to assure the nation, he continued: "I want everyone to know on day one, we're going to put our plan to control this virus into action." The estimates from the Washington Institute of Health Metrics predicted at the time that the number of deaths would be around 372,000. It’s been almost two months of President Trump doing absolutely nothing about the virus but whine about losing the election. What’s the result? That number, at its absolute lowest prediction, is now above 405,000 deaths by January 20, 2021.

What Is the Plan?

The plan consists of six major goals, that are really more like ten. A lot of the goals for President-Elect Biden’s plan look a lot like reversing the policies of President Trump. In no particular order, they are:
  • Increased testing and contact tracing
  • Mandatory masks and other PPE
  • More investment in vaccines and treatments
  • Rejoining the World Health Organization
  • Bolster and expand the CDCs global presence
  • Clear, evidence-based guidance
Increased testing services such as drive-through diagnostic site initiatives and developing at-home testing kits are priorities for Biden’s administration. Contact tracing is another priority he wishes to follow by investing in a Public Health Job Corps team. Domestic PPE production is a major goalpost for Biden, attempting to wean the USA off of foreign dependence on PPE. This is would potentially be a huge domestic security boon with bipartisan support. A major point of partisan opinion would be putting in place a mask mandate going forward. However, all prediction models with mask mandates in place give the USA at least 100,000 fewer deaths long-term. By any standard, even if one life was saved due to a mask mandate, it’s worth the cost of wearing a mask. Rejoining the WHO and the world community at large is another administration goal for the first 100 days. USA world leadership and foreign policy depend on having a say in world health policy moving forward. That includes having CDC offices bolstered overseas to help predict and contain pandemics like this before they happen. Not forgetting vaccines, Biden also promised to invest at least $25 billion in more vaccine distribution and development. Along with that, any clinical data will be transparently shared with the public.

Post-COVID Initiatives

Much of the work that Biden wants to accomplish has to do with COVID-19, yes. However, a bigger and more long-term plan involves working with WHO, the CDC, and fixing ethnic and racial inequities to health domestically. One of the ways Biden hopes to combat this problem is by creating an ongoing Infection Disease Racial Disparities Task Force. In addition to that initiative, Biden also plans to relaunch the PREDICT pathogen tracking program looking for future biological threats and diseases. Yet another move is Biden’s plan to restore the organization put in place during 2016 Zika virus concerns by the Obama administration, the White House National Security Council Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense.

Pandemic Policies: It’s Going to Be a Busy 2021

2020 is almost over, and 2021 is coming. While the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are already rolling out, the switchover to 2021 doesn’t mean the virus will magically disappear. What will 2021 bring, now that the novel coronavirus is part of the world for good? And how will the new Biden administration's pandemic policies affect the US? You’ll just have to tune in next week to find out. In the meantime, make sure you're stocked up on masks, hand sanitizer, and other personal protective equipment. We have everything you need to stay safe!

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