WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) – President Joe Biden said he has to “act fast” to push a huge new economic relief package through Congress, even without Republican support, because many Americans are near the “breaking point.”
“I see enormous pain in this country, a lot of folks out of work, a lot of folks going hungry,” Biden said in a White House speech.
“I believe the American people are looking right now to their government for help… so I’m going to act. I’m going to act fast.”
Biden said he wanted bipartisan support for the $1.9 trillion package, which will finance the struggling national coronavirus vaccine rollout and provide economic aid for Americans, including $1,400 in stimulus checks.
But the Democratic leader said his main priority was rescuing a country where many are “reaching the breaking point.”
“I would like to be doing it with the support of Republicans… but they are just not willing to go as far as I think we have to go.”
“We can reduce suffering in this country,” Biden said. “I truly believe real help is on the way.”
Meanwhile, an influential coronavirus model has predicted an estimated 631,000 COVID-19 deaths in the United States by June 1.
According to the latest forecast from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, the result depends on the vaccine rollout and the spread of variants. A worst-case scenario could see the death toll go as high as 703,000.
Increasing mask use from current levels of 77 percent to 95 percent can save 44,000 lives by June 1, according to the model.
The IHME estimated that 17 percent of people in the United States have been infected as of Feb 1. The daily death rate is greater than 4 per million in 41 states.
“Daily deaths have peaked and are declining. By June 1, 2021, we project that 123,600 lives will be saved by the projected vaccine rollout,” the IHME said.
The best strategies to manage this period of the pandemic are rapid scale-up of vaccination, continued and expanded mask-wearing, and concerted efforts to avoid rebound mobility in the vaccinated, according to the institute.
Some states are lifting mandates rapidly, which poses a real risk of increased transmission as new variants spread and vaccination rates remain comparatively low, the IHME said. — NNN-AGENCIES
