Biden Announces 500 Million More Covid Tests Will be Purchased for Americans

Politics|Biden announces 500 cardinal much tests volition beryllium purchased for Americans.

• Jan. 13, 2022Updated 11:46 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON — President Biden connected Thursday said helium was directing his unit to acquisition an further 500 cardinal coronavirus tests for organisation to Americans, doubling the government’s erstwhile acquisition arsenic his medication scrambles to respond to the highly contagious Omicron variant.

The announcement, which came erstwhile Mr. Biden delivered remarks connected the pandemic, brings to 1 cardinal the full fig of tests to beryllium fixed distant escaped of charge.

“That volition mean a cardinal tests successful full to conscionable aboriginal demand,” Mr. Biden said. “And we’ll proceed to enactment with the retailers and online retailers to summation availability.”

But it is unclear erstwhile the tests volition beryllium available. Mr. Biden announced the archetypal batch of 500 cardinal tests conscionable earlier Christmas, and the archetypal batch from that announcement volition not commencement being delivered until aboriginal this month, according to White House officials. Details astir however Americans tin petition those tests, including a government-run trial website, are slated to beryllium unveiled connected Friday.

The president did not accidental erstwhile the caller batch of 500 cardinal tests volition beryllium manufactured and acceptable for distribution. But helium said the at-home tests — on with much than 20,000 investigating sites astir the state — volition assistance to conscionable the surging request arsenic radical effort to proceed work, schoolhouse and societal beingness contempt the accelerated dispersed of the virus.

“We’re connected way to rotation retired a website adjacent week wherever you tin bid escaped trial shipped to your home,” helium said, adding that radical with aesculapian security can besides soon get reimbursed for the acquisition of up to 8 tests a month.

Mr. Biden said his medication volition besides beryllium announcing a program adjacent week to guarantee that Americans person entree to high-quality masks. Experts person said that KN95 and N95 masks support amended against the Omicron variant than the much communal cloth oregon surgical masks.

He did not supply immoderate details astir that effort during his remarks.

The announcement astir tests comes arsenic the president besides announced connected Thursday that the medication is sending a full of 120 subject aesculapian unit to six states, the opening of a deployment of 1,000 work members to assistance hospitals woody with a surge successful cases from the Omicron variant, White House officials said.

The president said the caller teams of doctors, nurses and different aesculapian unit would statesman arriving astatine hospitals successful Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island, successful bid to assistance triage patients arriving astatine hospitals, allowing short-staffed exigency departments to escaped up space.

The Coronavirus Pandemic: Key Things to Know

The deployments are portion of the Biden administration’s efforts to tackle the latest surge of cases caused by the highly contagious Omicron variant. As it has surged, truthful person caller cases, reaching more than 780,000 a day crossed the country. The fig of Americans hospitalized with Covid-19 has deed a grounds precocious of astir 142,000.

For Mr. Biden, the inability to get power of the pandemic has helped resistance down his support ratings arsenic helium enters his 2nd twelvemonth successful office. His aides are intent connected publically communicating their efforts to woody with the virus.

Since Thanksgiving, erstwhile Omicron was archetypal discovered successful South Africa, the medication has sent implicit 800 subject and exigency unit to 24 states, tribes and territories, officials said, not counting the unit Mr. Biden announced connected Thursday.

In addition, much than 14,000 National Guard members person been activated successful 49 states to assistance astatine hospitals with vaccinations, investigating and different aesculapian services, officials said. Those deployments person been paid for by the American Rescue Plan, a instrumentality that Mr. Biden championed astatine the opening of his term.

“To the subject aesculapian teams connected the ground, convey you for each everything you’re doing,” the president said.

Officials said determination would apt beryllium further deployments of subject aesculapian unit successful the days up arsenic the state continues to conflict with the pandemic.