Washington: US President Joe Biden Is directing the US government to purchase an additional 500 million COVID-19 tests to help meet growing demand across the country amid the spread of the pandemic. omicron Variant, A white House The official told Reuters on Thursday.
The order comes on top of another 500 million tests the White House promised to make available to Americans in January.
“In addition to the 500 million tests that we are in the process of achieving, today he is directing his team to get 500 million more tests – to meet future demand,” the official said on condition of anonymity. for.”
Biden has come under criticism for not focusing more on testing first as part of his strategy to fight the pandemic. A nationwide paucity of tests has stymied the response in recent weeks during the massive spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant.
Biden plans to announce his order for additional purchases later on Thursday.
The official said the tests would be free for US consumers and the White House would share more details about their distribution later. Details about the website, which will contain information on the first tranche of 500 million tests, will be available on Friday, the official said.
When the original 500 million tests were announced, experts said the White House’s action was not bold or fast enough to tackle Omicron’s spread.
Testing has been difficult for many Americans, driven by a lack of rapid testing supplies as well as a shortage of staff conducting tests at urgent care centers, pop-up sites and pharmacies. Recently, staffing in laboratories processing more complex PCR tests has also become a factor, leaving many people frustrated to know if they have been infected with COVID-19.
While the official count of Omicron cases United States of america As growth continues, there are signs that some areas that were affected early, such as NortheastThe pace of new infections is starting to slow down.
The order comes on top of another 500 million tests the White House promised to make available to Americans in January.
“In addition to the 500 million tests that we are in the process of achieving, today he is directing his team to get 500 million more tests – to meet future demand,” the official said on condition of anonymity. for.”
Biden has come under criticism for not focusing more on testing first as part of his strategy to fight the pandemic. A nationwide paucity of tests has stymied the response in recent weeks during the massive spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant.
Biden plans to announce his order for additional purchases later on Thursday.
The official said the tests would be free for US consumers and the White House would share more details about their distribution later. Details about the website, which will contain information on the first tranche of 500 million tests, will be available on Friday, the official said.
When the original 500 million tests were announced, experts said the White House’s action was not bold or fast enough to tackle Omicron’s spread.
Testing has been difficult for many Americans, driven by a lack of rapid testing supplies as well as a shortage of staff conducting tests at urgent care centers, pop-up sites and pharmacies. Recently, staffing in laboratories processing more complex PCR tests has also become a factor, leaving many people frustrated to know if they have been infected with COVID-19.
While the official count of Omicron cases United States of america As growth continues, there are signs that some areas that were affected early, such as NortheastThe pace of new infections is starting to slow down.
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