The Article below was published in Vol. 136, Issue 3 of the Lake Forest College Stentor on November 13, 2020.
Maryam Javed ’21
Opinions Editor
COVID-19 cases are rising throughout the United States, and around 10 million COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in this country. Over 200,000 lives have been claimed by the virus and if proper action is not taken, more deaths will occur.
President-elect Joe Biden will inherit a monumental COVID-19 crisis when he is inaugurated in January. Biden promised the American people that the first thing that he would do when he enters office is to take control of the pandemic.
Many Americans are frustrated with the way that the Trump administration is handling the ongoing crisis. President Trump has even gone against the recommendations of his own advisers, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the president has even contracted the virus himself. The President knew how deadly the virus was in February, but failed to take action accordingly.
President-elect Joe Biden revealed that a vaccine likely will not be available for several months, and when it is available, the most at-risk communities—such as the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions—will be vaccinated first. The virus also has been hitting Black, Latinx, Asian, and Pacific Islander communities the hardest. There is a lack of resources and funding in many of these communities and the Biden administration wants to change that. The President-elect stated that he will create a COVID-19 Transition Advisory Board, which will consist of distinguished public health officials. Biden wants to make rapid testing for COVID-19 more widely available for everyone and hire 100,000 contact tracers to combat the virus.
Biden also strongly believes that the vaccine should be free for every American. He believes that regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, we should all work together during this pandemic to stop the spread. This is not a time for division and partisanship. The President-elect wants to return the nation’s students back to school and get the economy running at full speed.
One of the most important points highlighted by the President-elect is the fact that Americans should continue wearing masks and that it is the most potent weapon to fight the virus. Wearing masks can save lives and it doesn’t matter what one’s political beliefs are; they should accept this in order to save the lives of others. Biden’s words about tackling the virus seem promising, but there is still a long winter ahead before he enters office. We can only hope that he stays true to his words, and takes immediate action when he is sworn in.
