On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced his plans to help curb the spread of the highly transmissive Omicron variant. Some of the measures include distributing rapid at-home tests to Americans, adding testing sites in certain regions, and increasing hospital support.
The government will make 500,000 at-home COVID-19 tests available to Americans next month. You will be able to request the tests on a website, and then they will be sent to your home. Biden said there would be no cost for the test, but he did not say how they would be delivered or when.
In addition, the government will use the Defense Production Act to aid in the manufacturing of more tests. Pop-up vaccination sites will be made available for testing, along with hundreds of additional people to administer vaccines. New rules will be implemented, making it easier for pharmacists to work across state lines.
Biden, speaking from the White House, also said that 1,000 members of the military will be deployed to aid in staffing medical facilities. Ventilators and other equipment will also be distributed.
“I know you’re tired, and I know you’re frustrated. We all want this to be over. But we’re still in it,” Biden acknowledged. “We also have more tools than we had before. We’re ready. We’ll get through this.”
Biden also encouraged the unvaccinated to get the coronavirus shot during his speech. He spoke out about the misinformation spread on social media aimed at deterring people from getting the shot.
He also reassured the vaccinated that positive cases of Omicron would still occur.
“There will be positive cases in every office, even in the White House, among the vaccinated, from Omicron,” the President said. “But these cases are highly unlikely to lead to serious illness.”
Health officials say Omicron spreads much more easily than other COVID-19 variants. It has quickly taken over to become the dominant strain in the United States.
Later on Monday, the White House revealed that Biden had been in close contact with a staff member that tested positive. The President was around the staffer for about 30 minutes on Air Force One on Friday.
Biden tested negative twice since Sunday and will be tested again on Wednesday, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
The staffer who tested positive was fully vaccinated and had also received a booster. They tested positive on Monday, the Associated Press reports.
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