Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden on Wednesday sought better transparency on the efforts taken to combat the coronavirus outbreak and urged the Trump administration to initiate more actions in addressing the public health challenge posed by the viral pandemic.
A day after winning the primaries in Florida, Illinois and Arizona, which propelled him closer to being the presumptive Democratic nominee for the November elections, Biden said the Trump administration must institute a transparent reporting process regarding testing of people for coronavirus infection.
The former vice president said the government must take action to expand the number of beds and facilities ready to accept patients and must deploy medical personnel to the places that need them the most and make sure that these personnel and first responders are equipped to do their jobs more safely.
"Vital equipment is in short supply, including personal protective equipment for health care providers and first responders, basic supplies for lab technicians, and ventilators for patients. One reason for that is Trump's misguided trade war with China, which led to tariffs on essential medical supplies and reduced their availability in the United States," Biden said.
Biden called on the Trump Administration to take several steps immediately.
"Level with the American people by providing accurate and complete information on: existing US supply of essential medical equipment, including in every hospital and clinic closet; the supply chain for essential medical equipment, from manufacturing to delivery; the measures being taken to ensure that manufacturers, distributors, and providers collaborate to prevent hoarding or the unfair allocation of limited supplies; and how the Strategic National Stockpile and Defense reserves have been and will continue to be distributed," he said.
Biden said the government must prioritise and immediately increase domestic production of any critical medical equipment required to respond to this crisis such as the production of ventilators and associated training to operate by invoking the Defence Production Act, delegating authority to HHS and FEMA.
This action must be built on forecasted demand, using the best modelling currently available for negative scenarios, he demanded
It would involve issuing a priority call for essential supplies above other contracts or orders, expanding domestic production and granting relief from antitrust laws, if necessary, to allow industries to work together and to remove any barrier to increased production capacity, Biden said.
"The Administration should provide a regular update to the public on the status of all of these steps, which should be taken under the guidance and direction of experts and public health and emergency response professionals.
"Congress gave the White House more than USD 8 billion to fight the virus 12 days ago. The White House should report weekly on how quickly and well that money is being used," he said.
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