President-Elect Joe Biden will deliver his first Thanksgiving address just hours before the holiday begins. During his remarks, he is expected to address "the shared sacrifices Americans are making this holiday season and say that we can and will get through the current crisis together."
Biden's remarks come as the country prepares for a possible spike in COVID-19 cases following the community centered celebration. While health officials have warned against large family gatherings, it appears that tens of thousands of Americans will still travel home for the holiday.
Thus far, the world has experienced nearly 60 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 1.4 million deaths. Within the United States, 12.6 million Americans have been infected and 260,000 people have died. Many health officials fear that as the holiday season nears Christmas and New Year's that COVID-19 projections will only worsen.
"I'm not going to sugarcoat this. We are in the worst part of this pandemic to date," Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said.
"Our hospitals are nearing capacity, and they are burning through PPE."
As more Americans combat the virus, medical professionals fear that hospitals will once again be overwhelmed and unable to find beds for patients in need.
“We are not at the point where we are going to have anybody just flailing in the hallway because we can’t get them a bed ... (but) that is a real possibility,” Dr. Ngozi Ezike of the Illinois Department of Public Health said.
“That has happened in other parts of this country, in other parts of this world. We’re not going to let that happen in Illinois, but it takes all of us to make sure that that doesn’t happen.”
Working to combat this virus, the Biden administration is developing plans to financially assist those in need during the pandemic while working to distribute a vaccine.
“This is more than just a financial crisis, it is a crisis that is causing real mental stress for millions of people,” the President-Elect said.
Expect the President-Elect to discuss the pandemic in detail when he delivers remarks on Wednesday afternoon in Wilmington, Delaware.
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