White House Escalates Covid Response With 500M Rapid Tests, Hospital Aid

Stat: White House To Ship 500 Million Rapid Tests For Free Beginning In January
The White House will buy and distribute 500 million rapid Covid-19 tests for free beginning in January, according to Biden administration officials. The move comes amid a wave of new cases, a large majority of which stem from the Omicron variant of the virus that causes Covid. Health officials across the country reported nearly 238,000 cases on Monday, nearing the totals recorded during the deadly surge in August and September. (Facher, 12/21)

CNBC: U.S. To Deploy Troops To Hospitals, Purchase 500 Million Covid Tests
The White House will deploy 1,000 military medical personnel to support hospitals facing a surge of patients infected with Covid this winter, and will purchase 500 million at-home tests that Americans can order online for free with delivery beginning in January, according to senior administration officials. President Joe Biden will announce the plan in a speech later Tuesday addressing how the administration is preparing for the highly contagious omicron variant of Covid-19. Biden warned last week that the unvaccinated face a winter of “severe illness and death,” calling on them to get immunized and to receive a booster shot to protect their health. (Kimball, 12/21)

NBC News: Biden Administration To Make 500 Million At-Home Covid Tests Available For Free
The federal government also plans to set up 20,000 new testing sites nationwide, with the first one opening in New York City before Christmas, the official said. President Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver a speech Tuesday about the administration's plan to combat the pandemic this winter. Testing remains one of the biggest challenges for the administration, with long lines forming at testing centers in recent days and at-home rapid tests selling out quickly, public health officials have said. (Pettypiece, 12/21)

President Biden will speak tonight —

The Washington Post: Biden Faces Tough Task Of Rallying Exhausted Americans Against Omicron Threat 
Four days before Christmas, as coronavirus cases spike and testing lines snake around city blocks, President Biden on Tuesday will again attempt to persuade Americans to take protections to fend off the fast-spreading omicron variant. But at a moment of great urgency — both for the nation’s health and the president’s standing — he has few new tools at his disposal, at least not politically palatable ones, and public health experts fear that exhausted Americans have tuned out their warnings. (Diamond and Pager, 12/20)

And more on covid tests —

CNN: Learn To Live Alongside Covid-19. But Good Luck Finding A Test. 
Amid this winter surge of Covid-19 cases across the country, CNN is reporting on an important pivot at the White House and among some public health officials -- how to live with the virus instead of how to beat it. That shift is occurring as many Americans struggle to find easy and affordable testing and as pictures of hours-long testing lines emerged over the weekend. President Joe Biden, as part of his address to the nation on Tuesday night, will announce a purchase of a half-billion at-home rapid Covid-19 tests and a plan to distribute them free starting next month to Americans who request them through a website. (Wolf, 12/21)

Axios: America Once Again Faces Coronavirus Test Shortages — Right Before Christmas 
Americans are encountering a familiar problem as they scramble to safely gather for the holidays despite the spread of Omicron: They're struggling to find coronavirus tests. Testing has always been key to slowing the spread of the virus. Given Omicron's transmissibility, accessible testing is more important than ever for life to go on without massive disruption. (Owens, 12/21)

KHN: Some Groups Are Left Out Of Montana Covid Test Giveaway Program
As Montana’s tally of new covid cases neared 1,000 each day in September, Shelly Stanley-Lehman worried about when the virus would reach her day care in Billings. She wanted to have covid tests on hand to help prevent an outbreak from sweeping through her business, but stores were sold out. She spent days making calls and searching online. When Stanley-Lehman finally got her hands on a box of tests later that month, it was too late — a child’s family member, unknowingly infected, had exposed the day care to covid. The virus quickly spread to four others, including kids and staffers. “We got the tests just in time to close down,” Stanley-Lehman said. (Silvers and Houghton, 12/21)