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 through covidtests.gov starting 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 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.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
From COVID-19 to a championship, Landon Clow reflects on time with Western Capitals | SaltWireICYMI: “It’s definitely been surreal so far and the story is still being written. We are halfway through this year, and still have some work to get to where we want to be,” said Landon Clow with the Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capital.
Read more »
Six-month COVID-19 vaccine delay would have cost $156-billion: studyA study puts a $27.6-billion value on prevented deaths from COVID-19, dwarfing the cost of vaccines, which was about $3.7 billion
Read more »
China’s factory, retail sectors skid in November as COVID-19 hits growthThe data suggested a further deterioration in economic conditions as lockdowns in many Chinese cities, a property-sector crunch and weakening global demand pointed to a bumpy road ahead
Read more »
COVID-19 bivalent boosters available for kids 5-11 starting WednesdayParents can start booking an appointment to get their child a bivalent COVID-19 booster shot starting Wednesday. Health Canda approved the shots for kids bet
Read more »
China factories that supply the world brace for tsunami of COVID casesChina is rapidly dismantling restrictions that largely kept COVID\u002D19 at bay for almost three years. Read more
Read more »