Biden says US will provide 500 million home tests as Omicron rises Coronavirus pandemic News

With COVID-19 cases rise Across the United States, President Joe Biden has announced some steps to mitigate the spread of the virus, including wider access to home testing, new vaccination sites, and more federal support for “COVID’s burden” hospitals.

Biden explained his “Winter Plan” at a conference Tuesday afternoon, urging vaccinated Americans to receive their blows.

He said while new Omikron variant It spreads faster than other strains of coronavirus, and vaccines continue to protect against serious illness and death.

“If you’re not fully vaccinated, you have good reason to worry,” Biden said.

“You’re at high risk of getting sick, and if you get sick, it’s likely to spread to others, including friends and family. And those who are not vaccinated have a significantly higher risk of death or death in hospital. ”

The plan was created as new cases of coronavirus grew in the United States as a result of the spread of more contagious Omicron voltageAppointed by the World Health Organization (WHO) last month.a variant of concern“.

Moe he said on Monday, there is “consistent evidence” that it is spreading “significantly faster” than the Delta variant that previously dominates Omicron. “And it is likely to infect or re-infect people who have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

In the U.S., Omicron already accounts for 73 percent of new infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week, while the rise in cases has prompted some major U.S. cities to tighten restrictions and restore internal mask orders.

More than 204 million people in the U.S. are fully vaccinated against coronavirus, according to the CDC, and 60.8 million have received a booster jab.

But Biden said Tuesday that tens of millions of people remain unvaccinated despite the widespread availability of vaccines, and urged continued calls from top health officials to prevent Americans from spreading Omicron further.

Quick tests, more test sites

To deal with the rise, Biden said his administration would quickly buy 500 million home COVID-19 tests and make them available free of charge from January, with the federal government continuing to implement federal tests where needed.

“Because Omicron spreads so easily, especially among uninserted people, it’s important to know if it’s infected; that means we need more tests, ”he said.

The president has also asked for the right people booster shots to achieve these, emphasizing that they provide additional protection.

“Pick up the booster, put on the mask,” Biden said. “Our doctors have made it clear that booster shots provide the strongest protection. Unfortunately, we still have tens of millions of people who are eligible for a booster shot that they haven’t gotten yet.”

All American adults who received a second stroke more than six months ago are eligible to receive a booster.

“Extraordinary ability”

The rise of Omicron has also raised concerns about whether U.S. hospitals will be able to respond to a higher number of coronavirus patients.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Sunday he warned In an interview with NBC News, “One thing is clear [Omicron’s] extraordinary ability to spread ”.

“Across the world … it’s raging,” Fauci said, adding that U.S. hospitals could be “very stressed” because of the escalation of infections in the coming weeks, especially in places in the country where vaccine levels remain low.

Biden said Tuesday that his administration is working to promote support for hospitals, including expanding U.S. troops and military health workers.

He added that he had instructed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to expand the group to install additional hospital beds in COVID-affected areas, including New York and northeastern Maine.

“Our doctors, nurses, hospital staff are gone above and beyond in this pandemic. The tension of the stress is real … And we will be on their backs. We have to let them know we have our backs, ”Biden said.