COVID: Bay Area Doctors Hopeful For Urgent Action On Pandemic From Biden Administration
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – Action on the COVID-19 pandemic from President Joe Biden can't come soon enough for Bay Area doctors, as California faces issues with its vaccine rollout and a new threat from a variant of the coronavirus.
Hours after his inauguration at the U.S. Capitol, Mr. Biden signed a series of executive orders, including three concerning the pandemic.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UCSF, is thrilled.
"I think an alignment of science and politics is one huge thing that we are looking forward to, because we should all be speaking the same message. And we often haven't in the last few months," he told KPIX 5 via Zoom on Inauguration Day.
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Dr. Monica Gandhi, also from UCSF, said it's a breath of fresh air to have the science of the pandemic accepted by the new administration.
"It feels like you've been yelling into the wind, and suddenly the wind stopped and you're speaking calmly and it's all being heard," she said.
Both doctors would like to see Biden invoke the Defense Production Act to speed up the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
"We need 600 million doses very quick, so yes, I would invoke that act," Gandhi said.
"This is not a normal time. People are dying every day, more than 9/11 every day in this country. and I think it requires at least a temporary all hands on deck approach," said Chin-Hong.
Both doctors said the fastest way back to normal is through vaccination.
"Getting needles into arms is the only thing I want out of this entire next three months. It's the most important thing we can do," said Gandhi.