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Jan. 13, 2022 — President Joe Biden introduced Thursday the U.S. authorities will make free, upgraded face masks out there for ordering on-line beginning subsequent week.
As well as, he’s ordering 500 million extra fast COVID-19 assessments to fulfill future demand and deploying extra navy groups to assist overwhelmed hospitals in hardest-hit states.
These actions are a part of a “whole-of-government” response to the surge in COVID-19 circumstances and hospitalizations related to the Omicron variant.
Upgraded Masks
Biden’s plan goals to make getting upgraded masks simpler for Individuals.
“I’ve taken each motion I can as president to require folks to put on masks in federal buildings and on airplanes and trains,” the president mentioned. Nonetheless, “I do know that for some Individuals, a masks just isn’t all the time inexpensive or handy to get.”
With that in thoughts, subsequent week, the White Home will announce how folks can order high-quality masks, together with N95s, on-line, without spending a dime, on a brand new web site.
Biden estimated that about one-third of Individuals say they by no means put on a masks, a statistic he is hoping to alter.
The president additionally acknowledged the pandemic fatigue many individuals have.
“All of us want that we might lastly be executed with sporting masks, I get it,” he mentioned. “However they’re a very essential device to cease the unfold, particularly [of] the extremely transmittable Omicron variant.”
One Billion Assessments
Within the 10-minute handle, Biden additionally introduced plans to order 500 million extra at-home fast COVID-19 assessments to fulfill demand. The order comes on high of the five hundred million assessments the federal government already ordered.
Doing the maths, the president famous the present and future provide means there can be a billion assessments “being acquired to ship to your houses without spending a dime.”
Biden additionally identified that fast at-home assessments weren’t out there when he took workplace. In distinction, “we’ll have over 375 million at-home fast assessments in January alone. That is an enormous leap,” he mentioned.
Within the meantime, his administration will work with on-line retailers to make extra assessments out there. Additionally, for any American who desires a take a look at immediately, the Federal Emergency Administration Company is including extra free, in-person testing websites nationwide.
Extra Navy Backup
“I am saying our subsequent deployment of six further federal medical groups,” Biden mentioned. These reinforcements embody greater than 120 navy medical personnel being despatched to hard-hit states, together with Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and Rhode Island.
These navy personnel will be a part of different groups already in motion.
Since Thanksgiving, over 800 navy and different federal emergency personnel have been deployed to 24 states, tribes, and territories, Biden famous. The numbers included greater than 350 navy medical doctors, nurses, and medics to assist overwhelmed hospital workers. As well as, greater than 14,000 Nationwide Guard members are already deployed to assist well being care staff are in 49 states.
Vaccination Stays Prime Precedence
Getting extra Individuals vaccinated and boosted stays a precedence, significantly through the Omicron surge.
“Proper now, each vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals are testing constructive. However what occurs after that would not be extra totally different,” Biden mentioned. “If vaccinated folks take a look at constructive, they’re overwhelmingly have both no signs in any respect or they’ve gentle signs.”
In distinction, when an unvaccinated particular person assessments constructive, they’re greater than 17 occasions extra more likely to get hospitalized, he mentioned.
“So long as we’ve tens of tens of millions of people that won’t get vaccinated, we’ll have full hospitals and pointless deaths. They’re crowding the hospitals, leaving little room for anybody else who may need a coronary heart assault, automobile accident, or any harm in any respect,” Biden mentioned.
One brilliant spot to date with the Omicron surge is, regardless of the bounce in case and hospitalization numbers, he mentioned, “deaths are down dramatically from final winter.”
Uniting In opposition to a Frequent Enemy
Biden mentioned America will “get by way of this when all people does their half, regardless of the place you reside, regardless of your political get together.”
Additional acknowledging the political divide influencing COVID-19 response and numbers, he mentioned: “We have a combat this collectively. We have started working collectively. Not towards one another.”
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