President Joe Biden, who on Thursday promised death and disease this winter for unvaccinated Americans, will address the nation on Tuesday...
President Joe Biden, who on Thursday promised death and disease this winter for unvaccinated Americans, will address the nation on Tuesday on the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Omicron, a mild variant of the virus, has hit some parts of the U.S. hard. On Friday, New York recorded its highest number of cases since the start of the pandemic, with 21,027 people testing positive for COVID-19, according to The Washington Post.
On Tuesday, Biden will introduce “additional measures” to address the rise in COVID-19 cases and continue to present the unvaccinated with a future of doom, NBC News reported.
A White House official said Biden will be “issuing a stark warning of what the winter will look like for Americans that choose to remain unvaccinated.”
Aides said the president will also explain how his administration is “prepared for the rising case levels” and how it “will respond to this challenge.”
On Thursday, Biden offered an update to his plan to combat the coronavirus, focusing on promoting the vaccine and booster shots, according to NBC.
He said he wanted to require insurers to reimburse people for in-home tests.
Biden also promised 50 million at-home tests would be sent to health centers and rural clinics for free distribution.
“I know COVID-19 has been very divisive in this country, has become a political issue, which is a sad, sad commentary. It shouldn’t be, but it has been,” Biden said Thursday.
“Now, as we move into the winter and face the challenge of this new variant, this is a moment we can put the divisiveness behind us, I hope.”
But Biden gave the hard edge of his language to unvaccinated Americans.
“For the unvaccinated, we are looking at a winter of severe illness and death for the unvaccinated — for themselves, their families and the hospitals they’ll soon overwhelm,” he said.
“But there’s good news: If you’re vaccinated and you had your booster shot, you’re protected from severe illness and death.”
However, the omicron variant has infected the vaccinated and unvaccinated alike.
In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week that 79 percent of omicron cases in the U.S. have occurred in vaccinated individuals.
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