Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'A National Emergency': Biden Focuses On Pandemic's School, Workplace Toll
The Washington Post: Biden Discusses Vaccinations, School Reopenings, Foreign Policy In First Network Interview As President
In his first network television interview since taking office, President Biden acknowledged it will be “very difficult” for the United States to reach herd immunity at the current rate coronavirus vaccines are being administered in the country and that his administration would utilize all 32 National Football League stadiums as mass vaccination centers to help in the effort. “It is a national emergency,” Biden said on “CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell,” referring to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its effect on schoolchildren and the workforce. (Wang and Gearan, 2/7)
CBS News: Biden Says Women Dropping Out Of Workforce During COVID Pandemic Is A "National Emergency"
President Biden said the exodus of millions of women from the labor force and the closing of schools —along with the mental health issues for children that could arise — during the COVID-19 pandemic constitute a "national emergency." "CBS Evening News" anchor and managing editor Norah O'Donnell spoke to Mr. Biden in the first network news interview he has given since his inauguration. (Linton, 2/7)
The Hill: CDC Could Lay Out School Reopening Requirements This Week, Biden Says
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could as soon as Wednesday lay out the requirements for schools to reopen, President Biden said in an interview that aired Sunday. Biden told CBS’s Norah O’Donnell in an interview that aired in part before the Super Bowl that he believed “it’s time for schools to reopen safely,” after calling it a “national emergency” that about 20 million American children have not been in a classroom for almost a year. (Coleman, 2/7)
CNBC: Covid Herd Immunity: Biden Says Getting There By Summer's End Will Be Hard
President Joe Biden won’t commit to achieving herd immunity to the coronavirus in the U.S. by the end of summer, suggesting a long road ahead to defeating the deadly virus. “The idea that this can be done and we can get to herd immunity much before the end of this summer is very difficult,” the Democrat said in an interview broadcast on CBS on Sunday ahead of the Super Bowl. (Higgins, 2/7)
In related news from President Biden —
The Hill: Biden Expects To Take NFL Up On Offer To Use Stadiums As Vaccination Sites
President Biden said he expects to take the NFL up on an offer to use its 32 stadiums as mass vaccination sites during an interview that aired Sunday. The president told CBS’s Norah O’Donnell in the interview that aired in party ahead of the Super Bowl that he received a call from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, in which the commissioner offered the league’s 32 stadiums as potential vaccination sites. (Coleman, 2/7)
The Hill: Bidens Express Gratitude For Health Care Workers Ahead Of Super Bowl Kickoff
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden thanked health care workers from around the country for their work during the coronavirus pandemic in an ad that aired ahead of the Super Bowl kickoff on Sunday. The couple in a pre-recorded message called on viewers to continue to “do our part” to combat the virus and to participate in a moment of silence for those who died of COVID-19 ahead of the game. (Coleman, 2/7)
