U.S. shortsighted, unprepared for future pandemics: article

The U.S. Capitol building is seen in Washington, D.C., the United States, Nov. 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Since the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021, Congress has not met the Biden administration's requests for additional COVID-19 relief funding.

NEW YORK, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Predictions of an upcoming COVID-19 winter surge, along with several new and unpredictable variants, come as the United States prepares to unwind federal payment for COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments, said an article published on the website of The Center for American Progress on Monday.

An increase in COVID-19 cases could overwhelm hospitals already dealing with crowded emergency rooms and bed shortages from a wave of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza cases, said the article.

"The U.S. Congress' shortsighted failure to invest in existing and improved COVID-19 countermeasures, disease tracking and monitoring has left the country unprepared for future stages of the pandemic," it noted.

Since the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021, Congress has not met the Biden administration's requests for additional COVID-19 relief funding, it said.

The lack of additional funding for COVID-19 has led to inadequate replenishing of at-home tests and PPE within the national stockpile, suspension of free test distribution, reduced domestic testing capacity, and lack of support for the development of new vaccines and treatments, it added.