New Sub-Variant? Posted on March 18, 2022 at 05:37:49 PM by Yogi Berra
A new COVID wave might be coming. Somehow we're not prepared.
Joel Mathis, Contributing Writer The Capitol. Illustrated
https://www.yahoo.com/news/covid-wave-might-coming-somehow-161003531.html
Thu, March 17, 2022, 11:10 AM
Pandemic lulls aren't meant to last. There are new signs that the United States might — emphasis on might — be about to undergo another spike in COVID-19 cases. The CDC this week confirmed that wastewater sampling is showing increased amounts of virus in cities across the country, and a new Omicron subvariant is fueling a fresh wave of illness in Europe. Maybe we'll see a rise in hospitalizations and deaths again, maybe we won't, and it's pointless to panic. But this doesn't seem like a good moment to let our guard down too much.
Somehow, we're not prepared.
The White House and Congress are stuck in gridlock, haggling over a new COVID relief bill that would provide $15 billion in fresh funding for testing, stocks of antiviral drugs for those who need them, and free vaccines for those who want them. Without that money, officials warn those supplies and services will dry up very quickly.
"Time is not on our side," an administration official told ABC News. "We need the funding immediately."
So what's the holdup? Arguments over how to pay for the bill, and how long. The details of that debate are less interesting — and less important — than the clear need to be ready if and when the pandemic gets vicious again. Why can't the United States get this right, at long last? We've had enough practice by now, haven't we?