Joe Biden has said that children should wear face masks when leaving the house – even if they are outside – to try and stop the spread COVID-19.
The president held a press conference on Monday to celebrate the FDA’s final approval pfizer Vaccination.
But even when he delivered the good news, he angered some with his advice.
‘Then let me say this to the parents. You have the equipment. You have the tools to keep your child safe. And two of those tools are available to you above all,’ he said.
‘A: Make sure everyone around your child is vaccinated who can be vaccinated. Parents, adults, teens.
‘Two: Make sure your child is masked when they leave the house. This is how we can best protect our children.
Children in Miami are shown wearing face masks as they return to school on Monday. Miami-Dade County has defied Governor Ron DeSantis’ orders, and insisted that schoolchildren wear face masks. Biden said on Monday that all kids should do when they leave the house
Joe Biden said on Monday that children should wear face masks when leaving the house
Biden said he knew ‘parents are concerned about COVID-19 cases among their children’, and added that he and the education secretary, Miguel Cardona, are discussing ‘how to raise our children safely’ How to get school back?
He continued: ‘Cases among children are still rare. And severe cases in children are very rare.
‘I know the way parents think about their children is not as reassuring as one would like it to be.’
The president also urged US companies to begin ordering employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Major companies such as Amtrak, Walt Disney and Walmart have already required their employees to be immunized and the Pentagon has said they will mandate all soldiers.
But Biden’s call to toughen his requirements for all companies is likely to face federal government overreach and legal challenges.
A mobile billboard truck displays a message for the Orange County Public School Board during a protest in favor of masks in front of OCPS headquarters in downtown Orlando on Monday.
9-year-old Winston Wallace raises his hand in class at iPrep Academy on the first day of school in Miami on Monday
Students at Barbara Coleman Senior High School in Miami walk on campus on their first day of school on Monday
States including Florida and Texas have already fought against vaccine mandates and believe that getting the shot is a personal choice.
Speaking at the White House, Biden painted this as a major victory, even though it would be of limited practical value months after the vaccination received emergency approval.
Still, he spoke directly to what he said were “millions” of Americans waiting for full approval before relying on the jab – even if shots have been going on in weapons since December 2020.
“It’s done now,” Biden said. ‘The moment you’ve been waiting for has arrived. Now is the time to get your vaccine.
‘Get it today.’
Joe Biden urges Americans to get vaccinated amid FDA approval of Pfizer vaccine
After delivering his good news on vaccination, Biden skips straight out, ignoring questions about Afghanistan
The FDA’s announcement was good news for an administration that has been in negative headlines for weeks and is under intense pressure because of the president’s August 31 deadline to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan.
He pointed to a pickup in the pace of vaccinations between hospitalizations and deaths of unvaccinated people.
“FDA approval is the gold standard,” Biden said, amid information showing a third of eligible Americans have been denied the vaccine.
Dorit Rees, a law professor at UC Hastings College of Law, told CNBC that firms may have felt wary of implementing full vaccine mandates until the shot was approved, even if they had legal rights. Was.
But he also avoided an issue that is still provoking unanswered questions, refusing to respond to reporters questioning about the crowded scenes at Kabul airport.
Among the questions he didn’t take are: How many Americans are still stranded in the country as US forces provide security in a tense situation with Afghan forces at security checkpoints.
When Biden walked away from the questions he shouted on Afghanistan, he left it up to his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, and his press secretary to answer questions later in the day.
Sullivan shrugged off questions about whether US troops would stay ahead of the August 31 deadline, when the Taliban said they were unwilling to consider an extension.
“While we are in talks with the Taliban on a daily basis through both political and security channels, I’m not going to go into the details of those discussions to protect those discussions that cover a broad range of issues,” he said. Gone,” he said. In the White House briefing room.
This left it to the president to talk progress on COVID-19.
Biden reported about a 71 percent vaccination rate, and even saw an increase in hard-hit shots in Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas.
He also expressed hope in the reduced mortality rate amid the campaign to phase out vaccines, saying the death rate is ‘still 70 percent lower than last winter’.
And he used this time to urge private companies to issue vaccination orders for employees.
“As I mentioned earlier, I have put in place vaccination requirements that will reach millions of Americans,” he said.
“Today I am calling on more private sector companies to address the need for a vaccine that reaches millions more.
‘If you are a business leader, a nonprofit leader, a state or local leader who is waiting for FDA approval to require vaccinations, I ask you to do so now, it is required.’
The administration already requires federal employees and onsite contractors to certify that they have been vaccinated or if they are unvaccinated to submit for routine testing.
They spoke shortly after the Pentagon announced that Pfizer would proceed with steps to order vaccinations to personnel following full approval of the shot.
“We’re going to go ahead with making that vaccine mandatory, we’re just preparing guidance for the force,” he said during a news briefing.
Earlier on Monday, the FDA gave full approval to Pfizer-BioNtech’s vaccine for people 16 years of age and older. The two-dose regimen was the first to receive emergency use authorization from federal regulators in December 2020 and will now be the first to be licensed.
Pfizer said on Monday that the vaccine would remain available for children ages 12 to 15 and would only be available as a third dose for immunocompromised people under emergency use.
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