The White House unveiled a new COVID-19 preparedness and management plan on Wednesday that details steps to prevent infection, keep serious illness and deaths down and be ready for potential new variants – emphasizing that Americans “are no longer going to let COVID-19 dictate how we live.” The White House said that the main takeaway from the 96-page National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan (which can be read in full here) emphasizes vaccines, COVID-19 treatments, and preparation for emerging variants, but without serious disruptions to the economy, educational institutions and businesses nationwide.
A statement from The White House read: “This plan lays out the roadmap to help us fight COVID-19 in the future as we move America from crisis to a time when COVID-19 does not disrupt our daily lives and is something we prevent, protect against, and treat. President Biden will not accept just ‘living with COVID’ any more than we accept living with cancer, Alzheimer’s or AIDS. Because of our work, we are no longer going to let COVID-19 dictate how we live.”
The plan adds a focus on guarding against COVID-19 and treating the virus, including a “test to treat” program that would allow people to receive antiviral treatment pills immediately after testing positive, and developing a game plan for any new variants. It noted that 1 million antiviral pills will be available by the end of March, and twice that amount will be ready in April. The plan summarizes: “We look to the future when Americans no longer fear lockdowns, shutdowns and our kids not going to school. It’s a future when the country relies on the powerful layers of protection we have built and invests in the next generation of tools to stay ahead of the virus.”
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