Washington, Jan. 13 (BUS): President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the government will double to one billion rapid at-home COVID-19 tests to distribute free to Americans, along with the more protective N95 masks, he explained. His efforts to “surge” resources to help the country cope with the sudden rise in coronavirus cases.
Biden also announced that starting next week 1,000 military medical personnel will begin deploying across the country to help overcrowded medical facilities alleviate staffing shortages due to the highly transmissible omicron variant.
Many facilities are struggling as their workers are quarantined at home due to the virus at the same time as a nationwide spike in COVID-19 cases.
The new deployments will be on top of other federal medical personnel who have already been dispatched to states to help with severe shortages.
Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Biden acknowledged, “I know we are all disappointed as we enter this new year” as virus cases reach new heights. But he insisted it was still an “unvaccinated epidemic”.
Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people have tested positive for the virus, but Biden pointed to medical numbers showing people are less likely to become seriously ill and die if they receive an injection: “What happens next couldn’t be more different.”
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