US President Biden to urge Americans to get vaccinated as Christmas nears

TIL Desk/World/Washington/ As coronavirus cases surge in the days before Christmas, President Joe Biden plans to stress in a speech the importance of getting vaccinated to protect from the wave of infections tied to the new omicron variant.

The world is confronting the prospect of a second straight holiday season with COVID-19 as families and friends begin to gather while the variant quickly spreads. Scientists don’t yet know whether omicron causes more serious disease, but they do know that vaccination should offer strong protections against severe illness and death.

In a preview of Biden’s speech Tuesday afternoon, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at Monday’s press briefing that the president doesn’t plan to impose any lockdowns and will instead be encouraging people to get inoculated and, if they’re eligible, to get their booster shot.

This is not a speech about locking the country down. This is a speech about the benefits of being vaccinated, Psaki told reporters. Biden’s top medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said over the weekend that Biden will issue a stark warning of what the winter will look like for unvaccinated Americans.