As new strains of coronavirus appear in various parts of the world and cases within the U.S. continue to peak, officials are stressing the importance of getting vaccinated.
"Right now the science suggests that the vaccines are still effective against the strains that have been identified but we're in a race," U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams told Cheddar.
Adams said the existence of new virus strains is not uncommon, and COVID-19 has mutated nearly 30 times since it was first discovered. However, he noted that mutations do not necessarily mean the virus will become more deadly or contagious.
While the vaccines appear to be holding up against new variants, there is still pressure, according to Adams, to reach "community immunity" before those doses become ineffective. As a result, the Surgeon General said that more has to be done to increase the volume of vaccinations and to speed up the process.
"We need businesses to be advocates for vaccines and to help us spread information about how people can stay healthy, including by getting vaccinated, so we can open up schools, open up restaurants, get back to worship again, get back to doing the things that we were doing in 2019 before we ever heard of this thing called COVID-19," Adams said.
In a report released today by the Office of the Surgeon General, a lack of prevention investments has impacted the overall health of the country and when it comes to COVID-19, in particular, Adams said he thinks businesses can be a line of defense against the virus if they are willing to be more vocal about people maintaining their health.
He said he was aware of the hesitancy many Americans have when it comes to taking the vaccine, partly because of the speed in which it was developed but wants the public to understand that "there were no safety corners cut whatsoever." Adams expressed a fear that misinformation could cause many people to avoid the vaccine altogether.
Vaccine Timeline
Officials planned for 20 million Americans to get vaccinated by the end of 2020, but the straggling rollout only yielded about 2.8 million people who had received a dose by year's end, partly because some hospitals didn't receive enough doses, while others received a surplus. The surgeon general said that in addition to using pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens, the focus should be shifted to all possible avenues to quickly get as many people vaccinated as possible.
"We need to use churches and other sites where people are so that we can quickly get vaccinations into arms," he noted. "And we also need to address vaccine confidence because a vaccine does nothing if a person is unwilling to take it."
For Adams, it's an all-hands-on-deck approach to stomping out COVID-19 and as the Biden administration gears up to take over the White House, he said he hopes to work with the administration, particularly Surgeon General nominee Vivek Murthy, to continue the effort.
"Dr. Murthy and I have worked together for the past three and half years. It's a small group of surgeons general," Adams said.
"I want us to be successful, and I'm committed to helping the Biden administration and our country — because I am the nation's doctor — really recover from this pandemic. And that's why I put this report out today," he added.
Joe Kennedy III, a former congressman and co-founder of Give Us the Ballot, joined Cheddar News to discuss voting protections in the United States and how his campaign is aiming to fix the issue of voter suppression. "Yes, redistricting is critical — Give Us the Ballot though recognizes it's 'redistricting, and —', because voting rights has an implication for every single election at every single level: school board, mayor, city council, House of Representatives, Senate, president," he said. Kennedy also gave his thoughts about the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer.
Big Apple workers who deliver for food apps like Doordash and Grubhub will now receive a number of legal protections provided through a package of new regulations that have started going into effect. These updated rules include more control over their deliveries, pay and tip transparency, a higher minimum pay rate, and access to restaurant bathrooms during the workday. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander joined Cheddar to elaborate on the regulations and how the platform holders reacted. "I have to say it's a mixed bag," he said. "Grubhub actually welcomed the legislation and said they recognize they need to do better by their deliveristas, but DoorDash, unfortunately, has actually been pushing back against the legislation."
Thomas Hoenig, Former CEO of Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and currently Distinguished Senior Fellow with the Mercatus Center, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says the Fed's decision was no surprise, but believes the Fed is behind the curve on raising rates.
Legal cannabis businesses are having a hard time surviving in California with the high cost of doing business and a still-thriving illicit market. In response, nonprofit Supernova Women, founded by women of color, is advocating on behalf of Black and brown shareholders in the cannabis industry. Amber Senter, co-founder, executive director, and chairman of the organization, spoke with Cheddar News about calling for changes in the Golden State's taxation system for legal marijuana. "We're really leaning on the legislators now to support the industry and make sure that this industry, in particular craft cannabis, can survive," said Senter.
After being among the hardest-hit industries by the pandemic, restaurants are still having a hard time staying afloat, with owners claiming that business is worse now due to closures from staff shortages and customer decline than it was three months ago. Mike Whatley, vice president of state affairs and grassroots advocacy for the National Restaurant Association, spoke to Cheddar News about how the sector is reaching out to lawmakers for help. "Working with Senators Wicker, Sinema, and a whole host of bipartisan leaders, we're trying to get the Restaurant Revitalization Fund replenished," Whatley said.
Communities of color are disproportionately affected by climate change and continuously feel the impacts. Mark Magaña, founding president and CEO of Green Latinos joined All Hands to discuss.
The memoir, "COMPROMISED: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump", tells a familiar story from a bit of a different source: Peter Strzok himself, former FBI Counterintelligence Agents and Agency Veteran who spent most of his very long career investigating some of the most controversial inquiries, most notably in recent American history. Those inquiries were Hillary Clinton's email to even Trump Russia investigations. Former FBI Agent and Author of "Compromised" Peter Strzok, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
