by the associated press
9:38 a. m. December 15, 2022 CST
Washington — The Biden administration is once again doing loose COVID-19 testing for all American families as it unveils its contingency plans for potential coronavirus outbreaks this winter.
After a three-month hiatus, management is requesting four immediate antivirus tests through covidtests. gov starting Thursday, a senior management official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the program. COVID-19 cases showed a marked construction after the Thanksgiving holiday, and additional gatherings are expected indoors and around Christmas and New Year’s.
Management is putting staff and devices on hold if needed to help battered hospitals and nursing homes, as was needed in the first waves of the virus. So far, there have been no requests for assistance, but rescue teams, ventilators and non-public protective devices are ready, the official said.
Biden’s management is also urging state and local governments to do more to inspire others to get the updated bivalent COVID-19 vaccines, which scientists say are more effective at protecting against serious illness and deaths from newly circulating variants. Management reiterates best practices for nursing homes and long-term care facilities for virus prevention and treatment and urges directors and governments to inspire vulnerable populations to get vaccinated.
The plan-making comes as management has struggled to convince most Americans to get the updated reminders, as cases and deaths have declined since pandemic peaks and most people have followed a return to the peak of their pre-pandemic activities.
The official said investment for new ones has been reallocated from other virus systems as the White House works to get congressional approval for further emergency investment for COVID-19. The official declined to detail how much is spent on the new tests or what systems have been diverted from.
The Associated Press