The Biden administration suggests it can keep the passport requirement for the Covid vaccine
The Biden administration has praised the Covid vaccine entry requirement for travelers to the US, raising fears that the controversial curb could persist beyond May 11.
Republicans have tried to use their new powers in the GOP-controlled House to have the measure scrapped because there is no public data showing a reduction in infections or deaths.
But the White House praised the policy in a statement yesterday for “reuniting loved ones around the world while reducing the spread of Covid and the burden it places on the health care system in the United States.”
It is still unclear whether the measure will be dropped in May, when the coronavirus public health emergency ends, along with most of the remaining restrictions and laws.
Despite its continued support for the policy, the Biden administration did acknowledge that the country was nearing “the end of the public health emergency” and that it would let science guide “any termination or change” of any given policy.
As the chart above shows, the introduction of a Traveler Vaccination Certificate on November 8, 2021 has not stopped the influx of Covid cases of the Omicron variant during the winter of last year. In a statement yesterday, the Biden administration praised the vaccine mandate for ‘reducing the spread of Covid’
Travelers wait in line for the TSA security screening at Orlando International Airport in July 2021. US Covid vaccine mandate submitted four months later amid Omicron surge that sent infection rates soar worldwide
The Covid vaccine passport requires all non-U.S. citizens to prove they have received at least two vaccine doses — or an accepted single-dose injection like Johnson and Johnson’s — before entering the country.
Last month, Representative Thomas Massie, R-Ky. introduced HR 185 – a bill that would stop enforcement of the mandate.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mandate was originally introduced in November 2021 amid the Omicron wave that sent infection rates soaring worldwide, as dozens of countries introduced similar restrictions.
America has extended the order several times, most recently last month quietly to keep it in effect until April 10.
Critics of the Covid vaccine passport said it is a “double standard” when many US citizens and members of Congress are not fully vaccinated.
Massie said in a statement on Jan. 12, “If you watched C-SPAN last week, you saw 434 congressmen screaming, yelling, cheering and speaking in the Capitol. Many of these members have not been vaccinated and many have not taken boosters.
So, why are we subjecting visitors who want to see their families to this Covid-19 double standard? The CDC’s unscientific mandate separates too many people from their families and has been doing so for far too long. It must end.’
Experts have increasingly accepted that Covid vaccines — while highly effective at preventing serious illness — don’t stop infections very well.
Most countries ditched so-called “vaccine passports” months ago when they failed to keep infection rates down, making the US an outlier in the West.
Almost all European countries, including the UK, have abolished the measure. Only a handful of countries have kept them, mainly in the Middle East and Africa.
President Joe Biden gave his second State of the Union address on Tuesday night. He said: ‘Two years ago, Covid had closed our businesses, closed our schools and robbed us of so much. Today Covid no longer rules our lives’
The most effective Covid injections – such as those from Moderna and Pfizer – are estimated to provide up to 90 percent protection against death in the months following vaccination.
However, due to the rapid rate at which the virus has mutated over the past year, it is difficult to know exactly how effective the injections are.
Experts agree, regardless of the figure, the vaccines have had a tremendous protective effect, saving an estimated 3 million American lives and preventing 19 million hospitalizations.
But the injections are significantly less effective at stopping transmission, dropping efficacy below 30 percent three months after immunization.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, admitted last year that the injections “can no longer prevent transmission.”
The Biden administration dropped a requirement last June for international travelers to the US to take a negative Covid test, but seems unwilling to give in to the shots.
It technically means people can fly to the US even if they test positive for the virus — as long as they’re vaccinated.
The policy also means that unvaccinated US citizens can enter the country as long as they can show evidence of a negative test taken a day before departure.
The administration acknowledged in its statement that “Covid-19 is no longer the disruptive threat it once was.”
It pledged to “review all relevant policies” on May 11, including the vaccine passport requirement.
The statement read: “Just as the creation of this public health policy was guided by science, so should any termination or modification of this policy be.”
It added that a vote for Mr Massie’s HR 185 bill “undermines that critical principle”.