The Biden administration is again making some free COVID-19 tests available to all American households as it unveils its contingency plans for potential coronavirus surges this winter.
After a three-month hiatus, the administration is making four rapid virus tests available to all U.S. households throughstarting Thursday, a senior administration official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the program. COVID-19 cases have shown a marked increase after the Thanksgiving holiday, and further increases are projected from indoor gathering and travel around Christmas and New Year's.
The administration is putting personnel and equipment on standby should they be needed to help overwhelmed hospitals and nursing homes, as was necessary in earlier waves of the virus. So far, there have been no requests for assistance, but surge teams, ventilators and personal protective equipment are ready, the official said.
The Biden administration is also urging states and local governments to do more to encourage people to get the updated bivalent COVID-19 vaccines, which scientists say are more effective at protecting against serious illness and death from the currently circulating variants.
The planning comes as the administration has struggled to persuade most Americans to get the updated boosters as cases and deaths have declined from pandemic highs and most people have embraced a return to most of their pre-pandemic activities. The official said funding for the new tests has been reallocated from other virus programs while the White House struggles to get congressional buy-in for additional COVID-19 emergency funding. The official declined to detail how much is being spent on the new tests or from which programs they were diverted.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Rapid Heartbeat Condition 5 Times More Likely With COVID Than With COVID VaccineNew research has revealed a link between a lesser known heart syndrome and COVID infection, with a much smaller link seen between the condition and COVID vaccination.
Read more »
Biden administration makes at-home Covid tests available for free again this winterThe Biden administration had shut down the free at-home Covid test program in September because Congress did not pass additional funding.
Read more »
Biden Administration to Resume Mailing Free Covid Tests as Cases RiseThe Biden administration will resume providing free Covid tests to Americans, part of a wider effort to combat the virus as cases rise
Read more »
Biden relaunches federal COVID-19 testing website for ‘limited’ shipments to homesBiden administration officials said COVIDTests.gov will reopen Thursday for a “limited round” in which each household can order up to four tests.
Read more »
American colleges mandate updated COVID-19 booster shot, student says it's 'out of line'Several American colleges are mandating students receive an updated COVID-19 booster shot, but some are pushing back, stating that the mandate is 'out of line' with what other schools are doing.
Read more »