Masks make a comeback in some US counties 1:03
(CNN) -
Biden administration officials acknowledged Thursday that the COVID-19 pandemic, which appeared to be waning for a month, has entered a new phase of alarm.
President Joe Biden said from the White House that members of his covid team were examining the increase in cases and hospitalizations among a considerable part of the country that has not yet been vaccinated, and determining whether it is necessary to recommend the use of masks again. .
"We follow the science. All the major science operations in this country and the group of 25 people we brought together are looking at all the possibilities of what is happening now. We have a pandemic among the unvaccinated. If you are vaccinated, you are safe." Biden said Thursday night during a meeting with union leaders.
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"They are investigating all aspects of any changes that may occur," continued Biden.
Biden's comments came after a day in which administration officials took an urgent new tone in the face of rising COVID-19 cases among Americans who refused to get vaccinated.
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"We, all together, are not out of the woods yet and you will want to make thoughtful decisions to protect your health and the health of your families and communities," said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control. and Prevention (CDC), during a press conference with federal officials.
The nation has reached "another pivotal moment in this pandemic," Walensky said.
Low vaccination rates alarm
Biden, whose first term has been invested largely in successfully containing the pandemic, has watched with concern as some of those achievements are erased.
The president met in the Oval Office with members of the administration's health team along with the U.S. vaccination program to learn about the status of the pandemic Thursday afternoon.
He arrived at a later event in the East Room almost an hour late.
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"We get a little stuck in that other office that I work in," Biden said.
The urgency comes as concerns mount in parts of the country where the number of cases is increasing.
Most are places where vaccination rates remain low.
Officials, convinced that the current increase could have been avoided if more people had received the vaccines, still fear hospitals will collapse or resources will be depleted.
"We are seeing the consequences of what we have been warning about for a month," an administration health official told CNN.
"It is serious and is spreading faster than anticipated."
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The debate on the use of masks in vaccinated people
Some government officials have discussed revising the mask use guidelines for vaccinated Americans, a decision guided by health experts but one nonetheless riddled with political messages and concerns.
Other officials, hoping to frame the situation around stagnant vaccination rates, have tried to combat rampant misinformation about vaccines that has leaked into conservative circles.
These are the people who should still wear face masks 1:14
Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said the administration is "concerned about the increase in cases among the unvaccinated" during Thursday's press conference.
In addition, it announced a US $ 100 million investment in rural health clinics to support vaccine education and outreach efforts, and a US $ 1.6 billion investment in testing and mitigation measures in high-risk settlements, including jails, housing for victims of domestic violence and shelters for the homeless.
The risk is still valid
There are currently several factors at play in the way the administration is approaching the situation.
Senior officials have tried to emphasize that unvaccinated people are almost exclusively at risk of serious illness or death.
The president himself made this point during a forum organized by CNN on Wednesday, noting that the situation has improved considerably since he took office in January.
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"We have a pandemic for those who have not received the vaccine, it is that basic, that simple," he said, adding: "Those who have these vaccines are not going to get covid."
His comments exaggerate the protection of vaccines against the disease.
Even one of his own White House officials tested positive for COVID-19 this week, despite being fully vaccinated.
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However, most studies continue to show that vaccines overwhelmingly reduce the chances of a serious illness that leads people to hospital or even death.
At the same time, the new urgency emanating from the White House reflects the need to address the increase.
Biden's work on the virus is likely to be a big factor in his political messages in the coming months, and his advisers have said they expect him to continue to focus on the progress he has made in the pandemic.
That was an easier message to get across when cases were down, even as Biden celebrated July 4 earlier this month with a largely maskless crowd on the South Lawn of the White House.
Alarming hospitalization figures
Current levels of cases, hospitalizations and deaths are nowhere near where they were at the peak of the pandemic.
But the United States now averages 34,056 new COVID-19 cases each day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, a 55% increase from last week.
Vaccination rates, which health experts have highlighted as a key part of the plan to control the virus, are the lowest since January, averaging 516,441 doses administered each day last week, according to the CDC (for its acronym in English).
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Renewed discussions among officials over the revision of the mask wear recommendations revolve around what messages the White House should offer and what guidance the CDC should issue, say sources familiar with the matter.
White House officials have repeatedly said that it will be up to the CDC to change official guidance.
"They have to do something," said a senior official, pointing to the importance of public communication amid mounting questions.
Any new recommendation for vaccinated Americans to wear masks, even if made under the strictest separation of health and political concerns, would inevitably amount to disappointment.
Measures to continue the fight against covid-19
Biden declared from the Rose Garden in May that it was a "great day for America" when the CDC lifted its guidance on the need for vaccinated Americans to wear masks.
Some administration officials have already resumed wearing masks in public due to local guidelines.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra was interviewed live by CNN wearing a mask while touring a Las Vegas facility housing the administration's covid surge response teams.
The teams have been dispatched to areas where officials are concerned about the deadly combination of low vaccination rates and a significant presence of the Delta variant.
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"We are going to do what we have done before, but we are going to do it with intensity," Becerra said.
And first lady Jill Biden, who visited Japan as part of an official two-person delegation to the Tokyo Olympics, wore a face mask to meet with the country's prime minister and his wife.
Officials are aware that mask-lifting requirements on vaccinated Americans were intended in part to be an incentive to get vaccinated.
Reapplying them could negate that.
During a news conference, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said reporting on the mask discussions was "a bit daunting."
"There hasn't been a change. And now it's pretty clear that if you're vaccinated you don't need to wear a mask," Psaki said Thursday.
Still, he indirectly acknowledged that talks about whether vaccinated Americans should wear masks were ongoing within the government.
And the last time the CDC changed the mask guide, ruling out recommendations for vaccinated people, the White House was notified less than a day in advance.
"We have never said that the battle is over. It is still ongoing. It would be more worrying, or should be more worrying, for all of you and for the American people if we didn't have those talks," he said.
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