By Andrea López-Cruzado
On the morning of Saturday, November 7, when Joe Biden was declared president-elect of the United States, COVID-19 cases in the country were close to 10 million and the death toll was almost 240,000.
Inevitably, by the time the Democrat takes office in January, those numbers will have skyrocketed.
It is also very likely that by then there will not yet be a coronavirus vaccine to massively distribute to the population.
In his victory speech this Saturday, when his victory was official and while the United States registered record numbers of infections, Biden highlighted the pandemic as one of the great challenges to face.
"Our work begins with controlling COVID
," Biden said in front of dozens of supporters in Wilmington, Delaware.
[The United States reaches the mark of 120,000 new cases of coronavirus daily]
“We can never measure all that pain, loss and suffering that so many families have experienced.
We know what it feels like to lose someone and I want you to know that you are not alone.
Our hearts break along with yours, ”said the former senator, who in 1972 lost his first wife and daughter in a traffic accident and his eldest son in 2015 to cancer.
How does Biden plan to face the pandemic in the country that leads in victims in the world?
During the campaign, the former senator presented his plan to combat the coronavirus and prepare for future threats to global health, which he plans to implement from the first day of his presidency.
And so he made it clear during his Delaware speech.
"On Monday I will appoint a group of leading scientists and experts as Transition Advisors to help with the Biden-Harris COVID plan and turn it into an action plan that begins on January 20, 2021," he said.
In the plan, Biden not only explains what he intends to do to combat the health emergency, he also outlines "decisive economic measures to help affected workers, families and small businesses and stabilize the economy."
In contrast to what Trump did,
Biden's plan calls for putting scientists and public health experts in charge of communicating with the public
, with daily press conferences led by them.
At the beginning of the crisis, Trump used to direct updates on the crisis from the White House and did not always offer reliable scientific information, such as when he suggested injecting himself with disinfectant to repel the virus.
Joe Biden becomes president after 47 years in US politics
Nov. 7, 202002: 54
As part of his plan, Biden established 7 main action points that we describe below:
Regular, reliable and free testing
Biden has offered to double the number of
drive-thru locations
for testing, sites that as of October 30 numbered more than 8,400.
It has also said it will invest in next-generation technology, including instant and home tests.
In addition, it plans to mobilize at least 100,000 people to track those who have been exposed to the coronavirus in higher-risk communities.
The latter would include the Latino population, which has been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
Protective equipment
With the help of the Defense Protection Act, the Biden administration will accelerate the production of masks, face shields and other items of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) until supply exceeds demand.
Evidence-based guidance
Biden announced that he will direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide an evidence-based address that responds to the current level of risk and extent of viral spread.
This would include guidelines on when it is convenient to open or close shops and schools, when to restrict the number of meetings or ask people to stay home.
This point also includes asking Congress to approve an emergency package to guarantee additional resources so that schools can adapt to the pandemic.
Also, provide help to small businesses to cover the costs of operating safely.
Vaccine distribution
Biden has proposed to invest $ 25 billion in a plan to manufacture and distribute free vaccines to the entire population.
Here it can be said that the Trump administration has already invested more than 8.6 billion dollars in different pharmaceutical companies that are testing vaccines in humans.
In return, the United States would receive at least 700 million vaccines.
Risk population
One proposal was also to establish a task force to monitor inequality in health and economic response, and to offer recommendations.
At the end of the crisis, the group would become a permanent team.
In addition, the Biden campaign has proposed the creation of a virtual national dashboard that the population can consult in real time to assess the volume of transmission in their neighborhood.
Prevention
In an effort to better prepare the United States for another pandemic, Biden plans to immediately restore the White House Directorate for Health Security and Global Biodefense, which Trump closed in 2018, and resume the United States' relationship with the Organization. World Health (the current government withdrew the United States from the WHO this year).
Mandatory masks
Citing a study that indicates that if 95% of the United States used masks, thousands of lives could be saved, the now president-elect proposes that all state governors and local authorities establish the mandatory use of face masks.
"We cannot repair the economy, restore our vitality, or enjoy life's most precious moments: hugging a grandchild, birthdays, weddings, graduations, all the moments that matter most to us, until we get this virus under control." Biden said Saturday in his first speech after being elected president.