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Biden tells Florida, Texas leaders: Help on COVID-19 or 'get out of the way'

Published 08/03/2021, 08:14 AM
Updated 08/03/2021, 09:30 PM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a small bottle labelled with a "Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken  October 30, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a small bottle labelled with a "Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken October 30, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged Republican leaders in Florida and Texas - home to roughly a third of all new U.S. COVID-19 cases - to follow public health guidelines on the pandemic or "get out of the way" as the country struggles to contain the rapid spread of the disease's Delta variant.

Biden also announced the United States had donated more than 110 million vaccine doses to 65 countries, but the White House kept its focus largely on the crisis at home: outbreaks in the two Republican-led states accounting for an outsized share of rising cases nationwide.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has opposed strict COVID-19 restrictions. On Friday, he issued an order blocking mask mandates in the state's schools. Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an order last spring that would impose fines for mask mandates.

"Some governors aren't willing to do the right thing to beat this pandemic, and they should allow businesses and universities who want to do the right thing to be able to do it," Biden said, without referencing the two men by name.

"I say to these governors ... if you're not going to help, at least get out of the way."

Asked later if DeSantis and Abbott were making calls that harmed their citizens, Biden said: "I believe the results of their decisions are not good for their constituents."

One in three new COVID-19 cases nationwide occurred in Florida and Texas in the past week, White House pandemic response coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters on Monday.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the White House was in discussions with both states about offering help to address the problem.

As of Saturday there were about 72,000 new COVID-19 cases per day in the United States, a 44% increase over the previous week, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New York City will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination at restaurants, gyms and other businesses, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday. Biden urged other cities and localities to do the same.

INTERNATIONAL PUSH

Biden said the U.S. donation of vaccines outstripped efforts by other countries such as Russia and China.

He said the United States would continue to give tens of millions of doses away across the summer.

"We're doing this to save lives and to end this pandemic. That's it," he said.

In late August, the United States will also start shipping 500 million doses of Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech SE (NASDAQ:BNTX)'s vaccine to 100 lower-income countries, the White House said in a statement earlier in the day.

Advocates believe the United States could be sharing even more.

"We could give away lots of what we have and still be fine," said Gregg Gonsalves, assistant professor of epidemiology of microbial diseases at the Yale School of Public Health.

Helping the rest of the world would benefit the United States in its domestic fight as well, he added.

"If we don't control it everywhere, we're not going to control it anywhere," Gonsalves said.

COVAX, backed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, seeks to secure two billion COVID-19 vaccine doses for countries in need by the year's end.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a small bottle labelled with a

In June, a WHO official said many nations did not have enough doses to continue vaccination efforts or had simply run out.

The White House on Tuesday said it would work with COVAX and other regional partners to ensure the donated vaccines were equitably delivered.

Latest comments

Are we not going to talk about the fact that Texas and Florida are the hotspot for uncontrolled immigration without any health checks? No? Okay
Pray for the vaccinated daily.
“and the question is whether or not we should be in a position where are why can’t the experts say we know that this virus is in fact we know it’s going to be or excuse me, we know why the all the drugs approved are not temporarily approved and but permanently approved, that’s underway too.”- Joe Biden
The Nuremberg Code (1947) Permissible Medical Experiments • The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential. This means that the person involved should have legal capacity to give consent; should be so situated as to be able to exercise free power of choice, without the intervention of any element of force, fraud, deceit, duress, overreaching, or other ulterior form of constraint or coercion …
Put your diaper and mask on Biden.
FL and TX about to take their shirt off and try to box their way out of a losing arguement. We’ve all seen one of those before and it mever ends well.
You sound like a cheerleader for the Marxist Globalist Neofeudalist Totalitarian regime.
Speaking of never ending well, socialism leads to genocide. Always has, always will.
Biden, you should get out of the way. Even better... out of this country.
What are your solutions?The unvaccinated they know one thing,Complain, criticizes, and offer no solution.
GOP stance on mask wearing and vaccines will certainly help DEMS in future elections bc they’ll just all die off! Keep it up FL & TX! Biden IS my president!
Administering experimental gene therapy is a crime against humanity according to the The Nuremberg Code of 1947. It is being forced upon humanity by coercion, fraud, deceit, and overreaching of Globalist Totalitarian regimes, i.e. Biden. the UK, the EU, Australia, etc.
Vaccinated individuals are getting infected, but that’s partly the result of them being surrounded by unvaccinated individuals - not to mention younger children who aren’t eligible. Once more people are vaccinated (or develop immunity from being infected), the R value will drop below 1 and some level of herd immunity would eventually be achived. As for who isn’t vaccinated, contrary to popular opinion, it isn’t all Trump fan boys. It’s also a large number of minorities, and younger people with diverse (or no) political views. And yes, its only logical that poor unvaccinated immigrants crossing into the U.S. illegally are likely contributing to the number of infections in those border states. To suggest otherwise is simply illogical.
You’ve been Maddowed by the state r0un propaganda machine.
the problem is ignorance not politicians. We as Americans should be willing to protect our families and children from the virus. Not point fingers to who is wrong or right. Get the vaccine and squash the bug. we can argue politics later
so triggered
We as Americans should be willing to protect our families and children from the Marxist, Globalist, Neofeudalist Totalitarian agenda of the party of Davos.
Biden why dont YOU get out of everyones way!
You are Suc…….my dict
florida and Texas should take biden and let virus to mutate further by spreading so that than the vaccine will not be helpful it will come in future if not now best time it get it now and enjoy stimulus check so spread the mutated virus to whole america than to whole world to get benefits common biden is fool as always didn't understand you can't stop the natural process.
What is your solution?Probably nothing... Just complain and criticism.
That's rich. Under Biden Admin there are record numbers of illegal immigrants crossing border with high rates of Covid-19; yet, he calls out Texas. SMH
where did you even get this magical numbers? out yer az?
Try reading. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57422618
are you really that ignorant?
That dip ******Biden is calling out Texas when he rolled back all Trumps border policies? Now we have 200k immigrants a month trying to get into Texas. No covid checks.
The new normal will never end if Texas and Florida dont fight back. Its the fate of humanity that is at stake, sugercoated by Covid
Biden is the problem Charlotte city leaders said immigrants crossing the border and feds are bringing them here and they are spreading covid sure this is going on in other cities
immigrants crossing what border?
your a ****
you're so sour
WH to TX & FL: Help us lie to the people, we are not closing the border even though illegals are bringing Covid, and lets tell people only unvaccinated are getting sick when we know vaccinated people are testing positive just the same.
you must be either blind or stupid if you don't know about the evidence. End of last week CDC announced that vaccination do not prevent infection with delta variant so futher boost will be required. As for the facts about the border well it's all over the internet!
except it is all over right wing conspiracy web site. internet sites with actual facts and the science say otherwise.
You are obviously a Marxist, Globalist, supporter of the New World Order of Neofeudalist Totalitarianism.
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