Biden says he will request funding for new COVID-19 vaccine as cases spike

US President Joe Biden on Friday said that he is in the process of getting another new coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine manufactured as COVID-19 cases are on the rise again. Biden said that he is planning to request more funding from Congress to start developing vaccines for booster shots as medical experts witnessed new waves and hospitalization trends.

The new, updated jab will contain at least one version of the omicron strain, called XBB.1.5. According to Biden, a new vaccine is needed as immunity among the American population may have weaned off, and the virus continues to mutate. According to reports,  pharmaceutical firms Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are all preparing to work on new vaccine doses of the XBB update. It, however, remains unclear exactly when the US would begin vaccination campaigns. 

“I signed off this morning on a proposal we have to present to the Congress a request for additional funding for a new vaccine that is necessary, that works,” Biden reportedly said while vacationing at Lake Tahoe area. 

It’s “tentatively” recommended “that everybody get it,” the US President added.

On Aug. 11, the White House requested an estimated $40 billion funding which did not mention COVID-19. It mentioned the aid to Ukraine, money to replenish US federal disaster funding, halt illegal immigration at the Southern border with Mexico, as well as curb the flow of deadly fentanyl. Biden's previous request of $9.25 billion to combat the novel coronavirus was rejected by Congress.

Mask mandates return? 

Across some facilities and public places in the US, the mask mandate has made a comeback. Atlanta College on Friday announced that it is reintroducing the mask-wearing protocol for all the students and faculty at the university. The Lionsgate film studio in Los Angeles has asked the crew and staff to wear masks again as the cases spiked. Biden administration, meanwhile, has scrambled to hire pandemic “safety protocol” officers and more equipment. It is speculated that the Biden administration is eyeing mid-September to roll out the updated COVID-19 vaccines. 

“Vaccination is going to continue to be key this year because immunity wanes and because the COVID-19 virus continues to change,” an official was reported saying. “For those reasons, vaccines remain the best protection against hospitalization and death," he added. In the US, the dominant Omicron sub-strain EG.5 – nicknamed “eris” – is causing a surge mounting over 20% of new cases last week. Health experts say that it is highly transmissible and is better able to vade immunity provided by vaccines previously.