Joe Biden warns Americans that ‘darkest days’ of pandemic still to come

President-elect Joe Biden has warned Americans to brace for the "darkest days" of the Coronavirus pandemic. While Donald Trump chose to not reveal the extent of the danger of the pandemic on the pretense of not wanting to create a panic, Biden wants Americans to know what they are up against. “One thing I promise you about my leadership during this crisis: I’m going to tell it to you straight. I’m going to tell you the truth. And here’s the simple truth: Our darkest days in the battle against Coronavirus are ahead of us, not behind us,” said Biden in Wilmington, Delaware, reported The Huffington Post. Biden's warning comes at a time when Americans are preparing for the holiday season. Healthcare workers and experts have urged Americans to stay at home and avoid contact with loved ones during the holiday season to contain the spread of the virus. Biden echoed their words as he urged the people to “care enough for each other” to stay distanced “just a little bit longer.”

“We need to prepare ourselves, to steel our spines,” said Biden. “As frustrating as it is to hear, it’s going to take patience, persistence, and determination to beat this virus. There will be no time to waste in taking the steps we need to turn this crisis around.” Biden's approach to handling the crisis marks a significant difference from Donald Trump who played down the virus repeatedly throughout the last year despite the rising Coronavirus cases and deaths. "The fact is, I'm a cheerleader for this country. I love our country, and I don't want people to be frightened. I don't want to create panic, as you say. And certainly, I'm not going to drive this country or the world into a frenzy. We want to show confidence. We want to show strength," said Trump, reported Yahoo News. The President's approach appears to be a reflection of his own image management but Americans have had to pay a huge price with the Trump administration not stressing the dangers of a virus that has already killed 325,000 people in America.

On the other hand, Joe Biden has constantly spoken about the need to take the virus seriously, even mulling a mask mandate for the entire country. As we reported, the President-elect received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Monday on TV to encourage others to take the vaccine. "I'm doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared, when it's available, to take the vaccine," said Biden. "Vaccines don’t save lives, vaccinations do. I believe we can administer 100 million vaccine shots in the first 100 days of my administration," said Biden. "My administration will focus on science and managing a robust and aggressive plan to contain the virus on day one. It will take all of us, continuing to do our part, to slow the spread of the virus including mask-wearing and social distancing."

While Donald Trump has constantly questioned Dr. Fauci and health experts throughout the course of the pandemic, Biden has stressed he will place his faith in science and health experts. He also lauded the work of the healthcare workers as he took the vaccine. "We owe these folks an awful lot," said Biden. "The scientists and the people who put this together, the frontline workers, the people who were the ones who actually did the clinical work. Just amazing ... We owe you big. We really do," he added.

The distribution of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine started last week after the Food and Drug Administration issued an 'emergency-use' authorization of the vaccine. The distribution of a second vaccine, by Moderna, is expected to be approved on Friday. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel has recommended healthcare workers and residents and staff at long-term care facilities be prioritized for the vaccine, followed by those over the age of 75. The Pfizer vaccine is administered in two doses, each several weeks apart, in order to achieve 95 percent efficacy.

Disclaimer: Information about the pandemic is swiftly changing, and Upworthy is committed to providing the most recent and verified updates in our articles and reportage. However, considering the frequency in developments, some of the information/data in this article may have changed since the time of publication. Therefore, we encourage you to also regularly check online resources from local public health departments, the Centers for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization.