Biden to Announce a Plan for Free Home Testing and Tell Vaccinated Americans They Don’t Need to Cancel Their Vacation

(CNN) – US President Joe Biden will announce on Tuesday the purchase of 500 million home covid-19 rapid tests and a plan to distribute them for free to Americans who request them through a website. This is one of a series of new steps it will unveil as the country faces a potentially crippling wave of infections during the winter.

The 500 million new tests will be available next month and will reach Americans by mail, the official said. The administration is still working to determine how many tests each household can request.

The new evidence submission scheme will be announced during a message intended to underscore the White House plan to address what is expected to be a large increase in cases fueled by the now-dominant omicron variant over the next several weeks. Cases are already increasing rapidly in areas across the country and hospitals are nearing capacity.

Among the president’s new initiatives is a plan to prepare 1,000 members of the military for deployment to overloaded hospitals across the country in January and February, administration officials said. They will include doctors, nurses, doctors and other military medical personnel.

An official said: “God willing,” the 1,000 would not be needed, “but if yes, they are ready and mobilized.”

Biden will seek to assure Americans that if they get vaccinated, they can still continue with their vacation plans without fear of getting seriously ill. On the contrary, to those who have not yet received the vaccine, he will talk about the possibility of suffering a serious illness or dying in the next few months.

“The president will tell the American people that if they are vaccinated and they follow the precautions that we all know well, especially the use of a mask while traveling, they can feel comfortable celebrating Christmas and the holidays as planned,” said a senior administration official , in a preview of a speech that Biden hopes will reassure anxious Americans before the holiday season.

Rather, Biden will warn the tens of millions of Americans who have so far refused to be vaccinated that they are at high risk of becoming ill or hospitalized as the highly communicable omicron variant spreads rapidly across the country.

Biden will also announce new vaccination points and increased access to vaccines. It will also deploy hundreds of additional federal vaccinators who will help add “thousands of appointments each week,” the official said.

Although the demand for vaccines has declined in recent months, the surge caused by the delta variant earlier this year led to an increase in some of the worst affected areas.

Biden will also address Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) efforts to expand hospital capacity and advance medical supplies to places where stocks may run out in the coming weeks.

The speech, which comes just days before Christmas, reflects Biden’s renewed focus on the coronavirus pandemic as anxiety rises across the country over the prospect of further restrictions and lockdowns.

Lines at testing centers have stretched over several blocks in certain areas, including the Northeast, prompting the White House to develop plans to open new federal testing sites in New York City sooner. of Christmas.

The White House canceled the distribution of free home tests to all Americans just this month. Earlier this month, press secretary Jen Psaki scoffed when asked if the trials should be free and distributed, as well as available everywhere.

“Should we send one to every American?” He asked.

While the White House plan announced Tuesday is not to send tests to all Americans, people would request the tests online. Those who use them will not have to report their results to public health agencies, officials said.

The administration had already announced a plan that required health insurance providers to reimburse cardholders for the cost of home testing; that initiative will remain in effect next year.

In his remarks, the president will acknowledge a likely increase in cases, even among vaccinated people, but will emphasize the drastically different outcomes for those on vaccines and those who are not protected.

Biden and his team have been adamant that federal lockdown recommendations are not on the table this time. And in his remarks, Biden will focus primarily on steps to prevent the US public health system from shutting down rather than on efforts to completely halt the spread of the virus.

“It will begin by recognizing that this is an uncertain time and many Americans have questions: questions about reuniting with family, how to be safer and whether we are heading toward lockdown,” the official said.

The president plans to say that “if someone is among the vast majority of Americans who are vaccinated, and especially if they have their booster dose, they have a high degree of protection against serious diseases,” the official said.

“Because omicron spreads rapidly, we will see that fully vaccinated people will get COVID-19, but vaccinated people who do get it are likely to have no or mild symptoms,” the official said, anticipating Biden’s comments. “We will also note that if you are not vaccinated, you are at high risk of getting sick. This variant is highly communicable, and the unvaccinated are eight times more likely to be hospitalized and 14 times more likely to die from covid.”