but because this particular variant is so severe, virulent and replicates very, very quickly, we re seeing pretty rapid changes to the health of individuals that are infected with the virus. reporter: today president biden speaking out about states banning mask mandates despite the surge. i find that totally counterintuitive, and quite frankly, disingenuous do you have presidential powers to intervene in states like texas and florida where they are banning mask mandates? i don t believe that i do thus far we re checking that. reporter: in texas after multiple school districts defied the governor s mask ban a san antonio judge issued an order allowing local school officials to issue their own mandate. and in kentucky the governor mandating all schools mask up. as u.s. covid cases now top 36 million, the push to vaccinate and confusion over booster shots continues. despite the fda urging no need for boosters, some states like mississippi are advising doctors to consider it.