Biden Warns That the Unvaccinated Will ‘Overwhelm’ Hospitals During ‘Winter of Severe Illness and Death’

As rising Covid-19 cases across the U.S. dominated media coverage and cable news programming Thursday, President Joe Biden offered a grim warning for the coming winter.

“I want to send a direct message to the American people: Due to the steps we’ve taken, Omicron has not yet spread as fast as it would have otherwise done,” Biden told reporters at the White House after giving a briefing on Covid-19.

Biden continued:

But it’s here now and it’s spreading and it’s gonna increase. … We are looking at a winter of severe illness and death for the unvaccinated — for themselves, their families and the hospitals they’ll soon overwhelm. But there’s good news: If you’re vaccinated and you have your booster shot, you’re protected from severe illness and death

While urging all eligible Americans to get vaccinated, he offered some comfort, saying, “We’re gonna protect our economic recovery.

“If we do this, we’re gonna keep schools and businesses open and I want to see everyone around enjoy that. I want to see them enjoy the fact that they’re able to be in school, that businesses are open and the holidays are coming.”

On Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci reassured the public that current vaccines, including a booster shot, are enough to fend off the new Omicron variant.

“Booster vaccine regiments work against Omicron,” Fauci said during a press event at the White House. “At this point, there is no need for a variant-specific booster, so the message remains clear: if you are unvaccinated, get vaccinated. And particularly in the arena of Omicron, if you are fully vaccinated, get your booster shot.”

The U.S. passed the grim milestone on Wednesday of 800,000 deaths related to Covid-19.

Watch above via MSNBC