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 Deaths have also reached unprecedented, tragic levels. There were more than 114,000 deaths in November and December, roughly the population of a mid-sized city, compared to 32,000 in the two months prior. We are on pace to have more new cases in January 2021 than in the first eight months of the pandemic, combined. National experts project as many as 48,000 to 81,000 more deaths in January alone. Even as Americans endure a record surge, new mutations of the coronavirus pose the threat of even faster spread. Viruses regularly evolve, and at least four new variants of the coronavirus have been identified in recent weeks. The United States is not alone in this fight; the pandemic has impacted countries and people around the globe. The virus, including new variants in recent weeks, has laid bare the connections between our health and that of other countries. The variant originally found in the United Kingdom, known as B.1.1.7, has been identified in numerous states across the country and is found to be 30% - 70% more transmissible. In England and Ireland, the variant has spread explosively despite public health measures. It has now been identified in the United States as well. Other variants first detected in South Africa, Nigeria and Brazil are also potentially more transmissible and could impact the effectiveness of therapeutics and vaccines, or could make reinfection more likely.

We can and will beat COVID-19. America deserves a response to the COVID-19 pandemic that is driven by science, data, and public health — not politics. Through the release of the National Strategy for COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness, the Biden-Harris Administration is initiating a coordinated pandemic response that not only improves the effectiveness of our fight against COVID-19, but also helps restore trust, accountability and a sense of common purpose in our government.

The National Strategy provides a roadmap to guide America out of the worst public health crisis in a century. Including twelve initial executive actions issued by President Biden on his first two days in office, the National Strategy outlines an actionable plan across the federal government to combat COVID-19. The National Strategy will guide the activities of the Biden–Harris Administration in using all the powers of the federal government to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Rh