Other steps being taken to help states combat virus.
President Biden announced Tuesday that the administration will open federal COVID-19 testing sites in New York City this week and buy 500 million at-home rapid tests that Americans can order online for free starting in January as it tries to attack the Omicron virus that is sweeping the country.
The president said there are risks to one-in-four American adults who are not fully vaccinated from the latest fast-spreading Omicron variant. And he pushed once again for all Americans to get the vaccine.
The administration is also deploying six of its currently available COVID-19 Surge Response Teams to Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Arizona, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is also deploying an additional 1,000 military doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other medical personnel to hospitals during January and February.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will make additional staff and hospital beds available, paid for by the federal government, starting immediately. This week FEMA is sending 30 paramedics to New Hampshire, 30 to Vermont, and 20 to Arizona. FEMA is also sending 30 ambulances to New York and 8 to Maine.
The Department of Health and Human Services will amend regulations to allow pharmacists and interns to administer vaccines across state lines.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the president and his administration officials to seek God’s guidance as they address the coronavirus.
- For FEMA personnel as they provide support to the states.
- For the federal government to be effective in the measures they provide to mitigate the variants of the virus.
Sources: Reuters, The Hill
