Joe Biden's two-day-old presidency has swiftly moved to emphasize the need for a federal government-led response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as more funding for production and distribution of vaccines, marking a sharp break with the Trump administration's reliance on state and local governments.
AMA Approves of Biden's Pandemic Plan
Shortly after details of Biden's anti-coronavirus strategy were unveiled, the American Medical Association (AMA) said it is hoping that the "steps taken today will quickly fix the supply chain issues" that were at the center of the country's health crisis.
AMA president Susan Bailey said that the AMA has been urging the federal government since March to implement a more coordinated strategy that should help with distributing the necessary PPEs for healthcare workers at the pandemic's frontline.
While Biden has yet to prove that he will produce better results on bringing down caseloads and speeding up vaccinations, experts have expressed high hopes for the new president's more empathetic stance towards the overwhelmed healthcare community.
At Least 10 Executive Orders Directed Towards COVID-19 Response
Since his inauguration on Wednesday, Biden has signed at least 10 executive orders and directives that centered on directly managing the pandemic that has already infected more than 24 million in the United States.
"Our national strategy is comprehensive, it's based on science, not politics. It's based on truth, not denial," Biden said.
On the day of his inauguration, the former senator immediately moved to require the community to wear face masks when in federal grounds- a necessity that former president Donald Trump did not put an emphasis on.
Biden also requested everyone in the country wear face masks during his first 100 days in office.
National Pandemic Testing Board and Health Equity Task Force
Biden's COVID-19 strategy includes an executive order that established a National Pandemic Testing Board.
The said board is expected to improve the country's coronavirus testing capacity. Early in the pandemic, the U.S. was among the nations that did not immediately adopt the widespread testing strategy that some Southeast Asian countries established as a means of reducing further COVID-19 transmissions.
Another order created a Health Equity Task Force that is expected to implement the Biden administration's immediate pandemic response. The new task force will also make sure that the government's succeeding moves under its COVID-19 plan are properly implemented.
Data-Driven Approach
Data is a critical aspect in tracing the virus' whereabouts, experts have been saying, and it appears that Biden listened to the medical experts' advice.
Along with the other executive orders he signed to push the government towards addressing coronavirus issues, Biden's plan includes improved collection and sharing of data related to the virus.
The summary of Biden's anti-coronavirus plan said the government will provide the American public with "clear, accessible and scientifically accurate information" about the virus and the pandemic.
Data analysts are expecting that federal agencies will collect and use data more comprehensively in various aspects of COVID-19 response such as vaccine rollouts, contact tracing, and more under the "data-driven" strategy.
Biden to OSHA: New Guidance for Employees
Also on Biden's coronavirus plan is an order to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to provide better, clearer, and safer guidance to employees.
The executive order is critical to unions, which have largely expressed their support for the Democrat leader. Multiple unions have said that the Trump administration did not do enough to protect laborers and employees.
The OSHA has been accused of inadequately overseeing working conditions for blue-collar workers who contracted COVID-19 at meatpacking factories.
In 2020, the agency, which is under the U.S. Labor Department, said it would stop inspecting all workplaces. Instead, it would only focus on inspecting high-risk industries. The announcement was immediately met with concerns from unions and critics.
