Biden unveils Omicron plan, including free at-home COVID tests and more troops for hospitals
CBSN
Washington — President Biden on Tuesday unveiled new plans to fight the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus, saying the government would make 500 million rapid at-home tests freely available to Americans, increase support for hospitals and add testing sites in regions that need additional capacity.
Starting in January, Mr. Biden said, Americans will be able to request rapid tests through a website and have them delivered, free of cost. The timing of when those tests will arrive on doorsteps and how they will be delivered is not yet clear.
In addition, 1,000 members of the military will be deployed to help staff medical facilities caring for COVID-19 patients. There are also plans to send out additional ventilators and equipment from the national stockpile besides expanding hospital capacity to handle infected patients.
