The COVID-19 lockdown was a tough and trying time for all of America, and many were eager to put the idea of a pandemic behind them as soon as the lockdown ended. However, the virus is still rampaging across the country, with new variants of SARS-CoV-2 such as BA.2.86 or Omicron emerging seemingly every day.
In the summer of 2022, both President Biden and the First Lady, Jill Biden, caught COVID. They had little to no symptoms and recovered quickly, and after President Biden ended the national lockdown last spring, they have generally lived like the pandemic was behind them.
This Monday (Sept 4 2023), Jill Biden caught COVID for the second time. President Biden has tested negative multiple times, but White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says that President Biden “will be masking while indoors and around people”.
The Bidens’ encounter with this virus demonstrates the policies that the US Government has passed in response to COVID-19, and also how the various systems of government work together to pass laws. Relating back to the division of powers that James Madison brought up in the Federalist #51 paper and the system of checks and balances, neither the President nor Congress could pass laws by themselves. Instead, they both have to work together and in the response to COVID-19, many rules and actions were put in place to battle the virus, such as vaccines/boosters, masking, social distancing, and more.
While in online forums many have criticized vaccines, commenting on how Jill Biden still caught COVID after being double vaccinated and double boosted, I believe that isn’t really the purpose of vaccines. According to the CDC, vaccines are meant to “[protect] people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and dying”. In the Bidens’ case, this has definitely been the case as they have only had minor symptoms.
An outside take on the current situation that I agree with - “In essence, the White House believes that with masks, vaccines and tests widely available, Americans can take as many — or as few — precautions as they want.” - Alexander Nazaryan, Yahoo News
To conclude, the COVID-19 pandemic has tested the U.S. government's ability to respond to a public health crisis. President Biden's administration has pursued a science-based approach, and recent developments with the First Lady's diagnosis highlight the ongoing challenges that America still faces with COVID.
Jill Biden tests positive for COVID-19, and White House hunkers down as nation faces small wave
First lady Jill Biden tests positive for COVID-19 again, while president tests negative (yahoo.com)
The politics of Congress's COVID-19 response | Brookings (brookings.edu)
Benefits of Getting A COVID-19 Vaccine | CDC
1 comment:
You make a good point about the Bidens' experience with COVID representing America's overall struggle with the pandemic. So many people are misinformed about why vaccines are important, believing that it will prevent infection rather than limit symptoms. Additionally, many, like the Bidens, have been slowly growing less cautious about masking and keeping a safe distance from people who appear sick, especially if they have already had COVID once. However, the fact that Mrs. Biden caught it again shows that the pandemic is still not over, even if we are over it. I like your connection to Federalist #51 as well, because it is due to these checks and balances, specifically within the legislative branch, that strong masking and social distancing mandates were not able to pass in the first place, as Republicans in the Senate disagreed with Democrats in the House about the need for such policies.
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