Fighting the Omicron variant surging through the country, US President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced that the government will provide 500 million free rapid tests, increase support for hospitals under strain, and redouble vaccination and boosting efforts.

Biden also detailed major changes to his Covid-19 winter plan, forced by the arrival of the fast-spreading variant, whose properties are not yet fully understood by scientists. He underlined that the winter holidays could be close to normal for the vaccinated while potentially dangerous for the unvaccinated.

‘Responsible thing to do’

Emphasising that his pleas were not political, Biden also noted that former President donald Trump has gotten his booster shot, while also adding that it is Americans’ “patriotic duty” to get vaccinated.

“It’s the only responsible thing to do,” he said, and chastised social media and people on cable TV who have made misleading statements to discourage people from getting vaccinated.

Also read: Omicron sweeps across US, now 73% of Covid-19 cases

The outbreak from this latest strain of the coronavirus has required the Federal government to get more aggressive in addressing likely wave of infections, but Biden promised there would not be a mass lockdown of schools or businesses.

“I know you’re tired, and I know you’re frustrated. We all want this to be over. But we’re still in it. We also have more tools than we had before. We’re ready, we’ll get through this,” he said.

500 million rapid tests

A cornerstone of the plan is Biden’s decision to purchase 500 million coronavirus rapid tests for free shipment to Americans starting January. People will use a new website to order their tests, which will then be sent by US mail at no charge, the White House said.

It marks a major shift for Biden, who had earlier called for many Americans to purchase the hard-to-find tests on their own and then seek reimbursement from their health insurance. For the first time, the US government will send free Covid-19 tests directly to Americans, after more than a year of urging by public health experts.

Also read: Fauci says omicron variant of Covid is ‘just raging around the world’

The Federal government will also establish new testing sites and use the Defense Production Act to help manufacture more tests. The first new Federally-supported testing site will open in New York this week. The new sites will add to the 20,000 already available ones.

White House officials said they’re working with Google so that people will be able to find them by searching “free Covid test near me.” Still, this testing surge will need to be supported by a further jump in production at the recommended rate of twice weekly. The US will need 2.3 billion tests per month for everyone aged 12 and older, according to the nonprofit, Kaiser Family Foundation.

Currently, the US can conduct about 600 million tests per month, with home tests accounting for about half, according to researchers from Arizona State University.

Additional troops to be deployed

In another prong to Biden’s amped-up plan, he is prepared to deploy an additional 1,000 troops with medical skills to assist hospitals buckling under the virus surge. Additionally, he is immediately sending Federal medical personnel to Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Arizona, New Hampshire, and Vermont. There are also plans to ready additional ventilators and protective equipment from the national stockpile, expanding hospital resources.

As a backstop, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will deploy hundreds of ambulances and paramedic teams so that if one hospital fills up, they can transport patients to open beds in other facilities. Ambulances are already headed to New York and Maine, and paramedic teams are going to New Hampshire, Vermont and Arizona.

The government will support multiple vaccination sites and provide hundreds of personnel to administer shots. New rules will make it easier for pharmacists to work across state lines to administer a broader range of shots.

Some prominent experts said Biden’s plan is a step in the right direction but the President hasn’t gone far enough to try to get ahead of the virus.

“I don’t know that the measures being proposed are going to be adequate,” said Dr Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Hotez said the government may need go a step further by authorising a second booster shot for health care workers to prevent infections that would sideline clinicians when all hands are needed.

comment COMMENT NOW