Biden's Presidential Address and Hope for the Summer
This March marks the one year anniversary of the announcement from the WHO that changed our lives: Covid-19 is a global pandemic. One year later, we are finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, as the ground thaws and the snow melts across the country, people are looking toward the summer more than ever before. With many announcements of vaccination plans, viral infection rates slowing, and the reduced number of daily hospitalizations, we are finally feeling like we can breathe.
In Biden’s recent Presidential Address, he announced that all states must make all adults eligible for vaccines by May 1st. This is already pushing the initial deadline of vaccination by the end of May. To further add some hope, the Government passed the Stimulus package that will allow for a temporary of the social safety net, offering families’ cash benefits for children, as well as support for anti-eviction policies. The AP reported: “Most noticeable to many Americans are provisions providing up to $1,400 in direct payments and extending $300 weekly emergency unemployment benefits into early September. Also included are expanded tax credits over the next year for children, child care and family leave — some of them credits that Democrats have signaled they’d like to make permanent — plus spending for renters, food programs and people’s utility bills.” (Miller & Lemire, 2021)
In setting our sights for Independence Day to mark our “independence from the virus”, Biden encouraged people to stay vigilant. The only way that we are going to realize this dream of “summertime magic” we will have to continue cooperating as a society to wear masks in public, social distance, stay clear of people who are sick, quarantine if travel is necessary or else stay home, and making sure to protect our most vulnerable populations of people of color, older adults, and people with immune compromising illnesses.
The CDC recently announced that if you have been vaccinated, you are able to be around low-risk family members and friends, other vaccinated people, and households who are low risk, without a mask. According to the CDC, people are considered “fully vaccinated” two weeks after they’ve received their second dose of the vaccine or two weeks after the single-dose vaccine. The two week waiting period is crucial to protect yourself and others. However, public mask wearing is still crucial even if you are vaccinated. This means that grandparents who received the vaccine can finally hold their grandkids for the first time in a year.
Let’s all continue to hang on a little longer and keep our sights on the sparkling sunshine of the summer! We’ve made it this far, a couple more months is nothing.
For more information on the new CDC guidelines visit this page.