The Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden issued a prophetic warning exactly one year ago that the United States was “not prepared for a pandemic.
On October 25, 2019, Biden tweeted to the United States an unabashed, warning advice on how to prepare for a pandemic.
“We are not prepared for a pandemic. Trumpf has held back the progress that President Obama and I have made in strengthening global health security. We need leadership that builds public confidence, focuses on real threats and mobilizes the world to stop outbreaks before they reach our shores,” Biden twittered. He was responding to a report on the Global Health Security Index that said America was at the forefront of infrastructure for health crises, but pointed to glaring deficiencies that could be exploited by an international virus crisis.
The former vice president’s predictive statement came at least two months before the World Health Organization said the novel coronavirus broke out of Wuhan, China, before it spread globally and caused the death of at least 1.15 million people worldwide.
We are not prepared for a pandemic. Trumpf has held back the progress that President Obama and I have made in strengthening global health security. We need leadership that builds public confidence, focuses on real threats and mobilizes the world to stop outbreaks before they reach our shores. https://t.co/1qqpgayUEX
– Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 25, 2019
Former President Barack Obama on Sunday repeated Biden’s October 2019 call for pandemic preparedness in the United States, saying the country must elect a president who has a concrete plan to combat coronavirus or the next potential pandemic.
Biden’s ominous warning came at least two months before international health officials said COVID-19 was spreading from China and three months before President Donald Trump praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for “working very hard to contain the coronavirus.
At the time of his tweet in October 2019, Biden was trying to capture the packed democratic presidential primary, and his tweet was a direct response to an article in the Washington Post describing that 195 countries – including the U.S. – were “not fully prepared for a pandemic.
The United States continued to receive top scores in the Global Health Security Index report as a whole, coming first in almost all categories. The US received an Index score of 83.1 for prevention, which took first place, and an Index score of 79.7 for responsiveness, which took second place. However, the report showed that the USA ranked 19th in terms of “risk”.
“Eight months after the start of the pandemic, with new cases breaking records, we need a government that does not wave the white flag. A year ago today, @JoeBiden spoke about the leadership we need to prepare for a pandemic and he has a plan to get it under control,” Obama tweeted on Sunday, highlighting Biden’s comment from last year.
The Trump administration has dismissed the COVID 19 pandemic in recent weeks as something it has already defeated, prompting scientists, health officials and Democrats alike to criticize the president for political gimmickry.
“Trump wants full credit for the economy he inherited and zero blame for the pandemic he ignored,” Obama said Saturday at a campaign rally in Miami for Biden. “Usually this is not a person who likes to take responsibility for anything. But you know, that’s not the way the job works.”
Despite Trump’s repeated recriminations against the Chinese Communist Party for its role in the global spread of coronavirus, the president announced his efforts in January 2020 – about a month after WHO officials said the virus had first spread outside Wuhan.
“China has worked very hard to contain the corona virus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and their transparency. It will all work out well. On behalf of the American people, I would especially like to thank President Xi! Trump tweeted at the end of January.
Tekk.tv addressed the Biden campaign and the White House on Sunday afternoon with additional comments.
