As part of the fight to face the increase in Covid-19 cases, caused mostly by the Omicron variant in the country, the president of the United States announced the opening of federal sites for the vaccination of citizens, at the same time that allocated some 500 million home tests that will be available to residents from January.
A day after authorities from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC for its acronym in English) reported that the Omicron variant became the dominant one in the United States, President Joe Biden announced the offensive to control the illness.
“No, this is not March 2020 (…) Two hundred million people are fully vaccinated,” Biden told a group of reporters at the White House on December 21.
The president warned, during his speech, about the risks faced by one in four Americans due to the virus.
The measures announced by the head of the White House include the activation of military medical personnel, who will be deployed to support hospitals that are already overwhelmed by Covid-19 patients in some areas.
Biden has been criticized for focusing his response to the disease on vaccination, to the detriment of testing and the use of masks. Likewise, he has been questioned for underestimating the impact of the anti-vaccine movement in the country.
The new government measures will not be fully implemented before the Christmas holidays, which will lead many Americans to seek, on their own, tests for Covid-19 before meetings and travel, this amid the confusion over if it is safe to go ahead with your end-of-the-year plans.
The Omicron variant, first detected last month in South Africa, is causing cases to double, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). But, at the moment, it is unknown if Ómicron causes more serious disease than the Delta variant.
According to the latest data in the United States, Ómicron currently represents 73% of all new cases registered in the country.
Long wait for taking tests
The rapid increase in infections is disrupting life across the country once again. This has caused the cancellation of events ranging from Broadway shows to professional sports.
On December 20, the National Hockey League (NHL) and its players union agreed to postpone all games until after Christmas due to the outbreak in the Washington Capitals team.
In New York, Washington, and other cities in the United States, long lines have been observed for Covid-19 testing. “If I don’t, I could risk spreading it to my family, and I don’t want to do that,” Ronald Tives said as he lined up to get tested in Farragut Square in Washington on December 21.
The launch of rapid home tests is in addition to Biden’s plan announced earlier this month that asked, among other things, health insurers, to provide free test kits to covered people, a plan that is also expected. start in January.
The administration will open several federal testing centers, beginning in New York City before Christmas, Biden said. “More federal vaccination and testing sites will be opened across the country in high-demand areas and when requested by state and local officials,” the president added.
Anthony Fauci, the White House’s chief medical adviser, said authorities are also considering reducing the recommended 10-day quarantine time for infected people to help asymptomatic people return to work or school.
$ 100 to get the booster in New York
With new cases on the rise, local officials are taking steps to encourage vaccination, including booster, increased testing, and mitigation measures.
In this sense, the mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, announced an incentive of $ 100 for residents who receive a booster of the Covid-19 vaccine at the sites administered by the city by the end of the year.
Biden has said that the Omicron variant is so contagious that it will infect vaccinated Americans, but that they will be less likely to become seriously ill.
The US president told citizens that those vaccinated, who follow the regulations on the use of masks, especially while traveling, should be calm to celebrate the holidays.
New cases of Covid-19 rose 19% in the United States last week and have risen 72% since the beginning of December, according to the Reuters tally.
Nearly 283,000 new infections were reported on Dec. 20, the most new cases in a single day since Sept. 3, although some states report their test results over multiple days.
The number of hospitalized patients with the disease has increased by 27%. Since the pandemic began, more than 51 million infections and 810,000 deaths related to the disease have been reported in the United States.
With Reuters
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