White House COVID Plan Stresses 'New Moment' in the Pandemic

Congressional funding necessary to step up access to treatment, enhanced

surveillance

Normal was the watchword, as White House officials unveiled an updated National COVID Preparedness Plan on Wednesday, which included increased access to treatment, enhanced surveillance, keeping schools open, and vaccinating the world. [MedPage 3.3.3022]

White House COVID Response Coordinator Jeff Zients emphasized that this was a "new moment" in the fight against the virus, with a new plan that expanded on the future COVID strategy that President Biden touched upon in his State of the Union address on Tuesday.

However, Zients prefaced his remarks by saying it requires "additional congressional support and funding." Indeed, a statement released by the White House said that, "to fully execute on this plan requires Congress doing its part to invest in tools that work."

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra made a rare appearance at the briefing, though when asked about his role in the pandemic, he reiterated that "HHS is a part of that team" assembled by the president to combat COVID, and that their efforts are "all about getting the job done."

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