WASHINGTON — Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, and he told the American people that “we can overcome” COVID-19.
To tackle the many challenges the country faces and restore the soul and secure future of America “requires so much more than words; it requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy — unity,” President Biden said from the west front of the Capitol, shortly after taking the oath of office. “With unity we can do great things, important things … We can overcome the deadly virus. We can reward work and rebuild the middle class and make healthcare secure for all.” He said that there is “much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities … much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build, and much to gain.”
“A once-in-a century virus that silently stalks the country has taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II,” said Biden. “Millions of jobs have been lost, hundreds of thousands of businesses closed.” He also said that as his first act as president, “I’d like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer to remember all those we lost in this past year to the pandemic — those 400,000 fellow Americans, moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. We’ll honor them by becoming the people and the nation we know we can and should be.”
“We’re entering what may be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus,” he added. “We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation … As the Bible says, weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning. We will get through this together.”
Biden’s remarks were in sharp contrast to comments made earlier in the day by outgoing president Donald Trump. “As bad as the pandemic was, we were hit so hard, just like the entire world was hit so hard — places that thought they got away with it didn’t get away with it; they’re suffering right now,” said Trump, who declined to attend Biden’s inauguration and spoke instead to a small crowd earlier in the day at Joint Base Andrews shortly before boarding Air Force One bound for Florida. “We did something that is really considered a medical miracle … and that was the vaccine. We got the vaccine developed in 9 months, instead of 9 years or 5 years or 10 years or a long time.”
Trump noted that in addition to the two vaccines that have already received an emergency use authorization from the FDA, “we have another one coming almost immediately, and it really is a great achievement. So, you should start to see really good numbers over the next few months. I think you’re going to see those numbers really skyrocket downward.” He also mentioned families who had lost loved ones to COVID-19. “We want to pay great love — great love to all of the people that have suffered, including families who have suffered so gravely.”
Responses to Biden’s inaugural address were generally positive. “In contrast to 4 years ago, President Biden presented a message of hope, not fear,” said Julius Hobson, a senior policy advisor at Polsinelli, a law and lobbying firm here, in an email. “He called for unity and bipartisanship as the nation faces the problems of COVID-19, racial justice, and environment. President Biden specifically called for healthcare security for all. Now begins the difficult part of moving to implement policies President Biden has proposed.” Biden adequately discussed the pandemic in his address, especially “given the number of critical issues, both national and international, that President Biden is facing,” he said.
“Biden’s approach to COVID is refreshing,” said Robert Laszewski, founder and president of Health Policy and Strategy Associates, a healthcare consulting firm in Alexandria, Va., in an email. “He clearly sees the threat, the science, and the importance of presidential leadership in getting the entire country moving in the right direction. The last two months Trump has effectively ignored the pandemic. The real question is over the many Trump supporters that have not taken the health precautions seriously. Will Biden have any impact upon them?”
“President Biden will change the tone of presidential rhetoric on the pandemic, especially when it comes to mask-wearing,” said Doug Badger, visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a right-leaning think tank here, in an email. “While masks can help slow the infection’s spread, they didn’t forestall the wave of infections here or in Europe. Additional strategies are needed, beginning with FDA approval of rapid home tests that would enable tens of millions of people to learn their COVID status every day.”
Last Updated January 20, 2021
Source: MedicalNewsToday.com
