President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday unveiled a new massive COVID-19 attack plan that is closer than ever to aligning the federal response to the pandemic with that of the Golden State.
In fact, for Californians, Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan may seem a bit like déjà vu. The strategy, which includes more stimulus checks, an effort to increase vaccine distribution, funding to help schools reopen, and extended eviction protections mirror the steps California’s leadership is taking.
On the one hand, the California experience can serve as a cautionary tale – despite cracking down on the virus early and harshly, the state is seeing its case and the death toll exploding this winter, while its hospitals are overburdened. But on the other hand, state experts say it will be a relief to have a federal orientation that is more in line with that of California.
“The symbolism of just talking about it is important, because (the president) Trump has been silent in the last few days about everything except his complaints about the election,” said Claremont McKenna College professor of politics Jack Pitney, a former Republican agent who left the party after Donald Trump was elected. “This sends a message to the government line that this is a real priority. And that is not the message sent in the past two months. “
Biden began Thursday’s speech with a stern nod to the bay area, remembering Patricia Dowd – the 57-year-old San Jose woman who died on February 6, becoming the first known coronavirus fatality in the world. parents. Move forward a year and more than 500 Californians on average died every day during the past week. Many intensive care units in the Bay Area are in the same capacity, or nearly so, as COVID-infected patients flooding hospitals.
And the launch of the vaccine, which Biden called “total failure”, is getting worse in California than in most of the rest of the country. The state vaccinated only 2.5% of its population by Thursday. Only six other states – Mississippi, Arizona, Idaho, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama – performed worse, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The federal government has almost always left states to their own devices when it comes to the distribution of vaccines. There have been delays and communication failures, resulting in California agencies left in the dark, not knowing when their next shipment of vaccines will arrive, said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, professor and chair of the UCSF Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department.
“The difference between vaccines and vaccinations is quite stark,” she said. “And what we’re seeing is that these vaccines are not really reaching people in the form of vaccines.”
Biden’s plan, which would put about $ 20 billion in vaccination efforts, could help. The president-elect aims to administer 100 million vaccines in his first 100 days in office – a dramatic increase from the 11 million vaccines distributed so far.
He painted a bleak picture of the destruction the pandemic is causing in the country, using language that accompanies the rhetoric of his fellow governor Gavin Newsom much more than that of Trump.
“The crisis of deep human suffering is in sight and there is no time to lose,” said Biden. “We have to act, and we have to act now.”
Experts say Biden’s message reaffirming the seriousness of the crisis could help one of California’s most pressing issues – pandemic fatigue. Biden’s call for action could help convince tired Californians to sacrifice themselves to continue wearing masks and social detachment for a little longer, said Bibbins-Domingo.
For Bibbins-Domingo, another major priority is to research new extra-contagious strains of coronavirus – one of which has already infected Californians. Biden’s plan would increase funding for genetic sequencing to help track new strains of the virus.
The plan would also channel about $ 130 billion to make schools safe to reopen – another high-priority item on Newsom’s agenda. The governor announced at the end of last month a $ 2 billion Safe Schools for All plan to put students behind their desks again.
Biden’s plan also calls on lawmakers to extend the national eviction moratorium, currently set to expire on January 31 through September 30. Newsom has made similar appeals, and California lawmakers have proposed measures to extend eviction protections.
Biden proposed $ 1,400 stimulus checks, $ 25 billion in rental assistance and $ 5 billion for homeless Americans and residents at risk of losing their homes. In California, which now has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, that money would be a welcome relief.
“Californians are in dire need, no doubt, and in an even more dire need than people in other parts of the country,” said Pitney. “So it’s a big deal.”