Biden Admits Shortcomings in COVID-19 Response: "Will Follow Expert Guidelines"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Joselgina] U.S. President Joe Biden has once again officially acknowledged that the administration's COVID-19 response measures have recently been insufficient to curb the spread of the Omicron variant. He stated, "I will follow whatever guidelines medical experts provide," suggesting a possible shortening of the isolation period for infected individuals currently under review by health authorities.

According to local media such as CNN, President Biden attended a weekly virtual meeting on the 27th (local time) between the White House COVID-19 response team and federal governors, where he addressed the recent shortage of testing kits, saying, "It is clear that it was insufficient. Looking at the long lines for testing during the Christmas weekend, we can see that there is more work to be done."

This marks President Biden's first official statement regarding COVID-19 since the Christmas holiday. It came six days after his national address on the 21st, where he outlined the response strategy to the new Omicron variant. That address focused on supporting 600 million rapid test kits to enable quick testing and expanding vaccination efforts. He mentioned, "We need to do more."

This was President Biden's first time attending the weekly virtual meeting between the COVID-19 response team and governors. Before the meeting began, he emphasized a state-level all-out response system, stating, "There is no federal solution." He added, "If you need anything, say so," and "We will use every method to help."

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, expressed concerns, saying, "The federal government's plan to distribute 500 million rapid test kits is excellent," but also noted, "As a governor, it is clear that this depletes the supply chains that states can manage. The federal solution should not hinder state solutions."

On this day, President Biden did not disclose any separate specific COVID-19 response plans. It is reported that questions were raised about shortening the isolation period for infected individuals, as suggested by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). U.S. health authorities are currently considering reducing the isolation period for confirmed COVID-19 cases or those who have been in contact with infected individuals from the existing ten days. President Biden clearly indicated that he would fully follow expert guidelines.

However, he did not specifically mention the domestic airline passenger vaccination mandate, which Dr. Fauci described as a "reasonable measure" on the same day. Currently, the U.S. mandates vaccination only for foreign nationals entering by air.

Recently, COVID-19 infections have surged in the U.S. due to the spread of Omicron. Some projections suggest that daily new cases could soar to 500,000. According to The New York Times (NYT), the seven-day average of daily new cases as of the 26th increased by 83% compared to two weeks prior, reaching 214,499. This is the highest figure since January. The NYT also added that in New York, the average daily new cases have surged by 644% over the past two weeks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.