'We're expanding our national booster campaign to provide booster shots to all eligible adults,' Pres. Biden says during remarks about his plan to fight COVID-19 this winter.
The first case of the omicron COVID-19 variant was confirmed in California in a fully-vaccinated traveler who had returned from South Africa. The person developed mild symptoms.variant, President Joe Biden announced a plan Thursday for a winter coronavirus strategy that includes making at-home rapid tests free, extending the mask requirement on public transit and requiring more stringent testing protocols for all international travelers.
The Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor and Treasury Department will put out guidance by Jan. 15 to determine exactly how many tests will be covered and at what frequency, the plan said, and it will not retroactively cover tests already purchased.Senior administration officials said they are confident in the supply of rapid tests to meet the possible demand of Americans who will now be able to get them at no cost.
The plan also puts a heavy emphasis on booster shots, which have had a sluggish uptake in the U.S. but experts urge for added protection in the face ofPharmacies will expand locations and hours to administer booster shots through December, according to the plan, and the Biden administration will up its outreach efforts through a public education campaign aimed at seniors and new family vaccination clinics that can be a one-stop shop for kids vaccines, adult vaccines and booster shots.
"It's a new variant that's cause for concern, but not a cause for panic," the president said."And we're gonna fight this with science and speed. We're not going to fight it with chaos and confusion, and we believe we can deal with it."President Joe Biden speaks in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, Dec. 1, 2021.
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