US not heading toward Covid lockdown, White House says
USA
The United States does not need to impose a lockdown or shut down its economy to curb the spread of Covid-19 and will rely on other tools, White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said on Monday.
"We are not headed in that direction. We have the tools to accelerate the path out of this pandemic; widely available vaccinations, booster shots, kid shots, therapeutics," Zients told reporters at a White House briefing.
"We can curb the spread of the virus without having to in any way shut down our economy."
US regulators expanded eligibility for booster shots of Covid-19 vaccines to all adults on Friday, and 3 million people received them since, Zients said.
"In fact, just across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we got 3 million booster shots into arms. A million booster shots per day," he said. "Don't delay, get your booster shot so you can have enhanced protection for Covid as we head into the winter."
Separately, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said US health officials are not currently recommending lockdowns or economic restrictions to curb rising Covid-19 cases.
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