Wednesday December 22, 2021
Appeal for corona vaccination
Biden takes Trump as a role model
Ironically: When he called for vaccinations again, US President Biden refers to his predecessor. He sees no reason to panic in the rapid expansion of Omikron, but to worry. However, the entry ban for southern Africa could soon fall.
In view of the rapid spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, US President Joe Biden has once again urged vaccination – taking his controversial predecessor Donald Trump as a model. In a speech in the White House, Biden referred to a statement from Trump that he had received a booster vaccination. “That is maybe one of the few things that he and I can agree on,” said Biden.
Trump said at an event in Dallas, Texas on Sunday that he had had a booster vaccination. A video can be heard that parts of the audience reacted with boos. Trump has repeatedly portrayed the rapid development of vaccines against the coronavirus as his success – but at the same time hardly advertised vaccinations at all.
Millions of people in the US do not want to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Vaccine skepticism or even the rejection of vaccinations is particularly widespread among supporters of Trump’s conservative Republicans. So far, only 61.5 percent of the total US population has been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Biden’s appeals fall on deaf ears with many people.
500 million self-tests ordered
In his speech, in which he announced new measures against the corona pandemic such as ordering 500 million self-tests, Biden made another allusion to his rival Trump. “Thanks to the previous administration and our scientists, the US is one of the first countries to get the vaccination,” said Biden. The President claimed that the vaccine would be distributed quickly for himself and his government.
The president repeated his motto that the spread of the Omikron variant before the Christmas holidays was cause for concern, but not cause for panic. “We are prepared,” said Biden. But people would have to get vaccinated.
“If you’re fully vaccinated, and especially if you’ve been given a booster, you are highly protected,” said the 79-year-old. “If you are not vaccinated, you are at a higher risk of developing severe Covid-19, hospital and even death.”
Omikron has rapidly become the predominant variant in the USA. According to the US health authority CDC, almost three quarters – 73.2 percent – of the corona cases registered in the past week can be traced back to Omikron. The new variant was first identified in South Africa in November. Numerous countries – including the USA – subsequently prohibited entry from several countries in southern Africa. In response to a journalist’s question, Biden said he was considering lifting this ban. “I’ll talk to my team about it in the coming days.”