The sudden emergence of the Omicron variant – and the fear it has generated – has been cited by the White House as a key driver behind President Joe Biden’s new campaign calling on all Americans to get coronavirus booster shots. Seniors will be particularly targeted under the enhanced program.
The vaccine push comes barely 24-hours after the first confirmed U.S. case of the variant was found in a fully vaccinated traveler who returned to California after a trip to South Africa, as Breitbart News reported.
The president will ask everyone on Thursday to roll up their sleeves another time this winter as enhanced distribution of jabs and vaccines become more widely available in most – but by all means not all – states.
The plan also includes a requirement for private insurers to cover the cost of at-home COVID-19 tests and a tightening of testing requirements for people entering the U.S. regardless of their vaccination status, AP reports.
This plan as outlined by the White house includes:
1. Boosters for All Adults
2. Vaccinations to Protect Our Kids and Keep Our Schools Open
3. Expanding Free At-Home Testing for Americans
4. Stronger Public Health Protocols for Safe International Travel
5. Protections in Workplaces to Keep Our Economy Open
6. Rapid Response Teams to Help Battle Rising Cases
7. Supplying Treatment Pills to Help Prevent Hospitalizations and Death
8. Continued Commitment to Global Vaccination Efforts
9. Steps to Ensure We Are Prepared for All Scenarios
Biden is not yet moving to impose additional restrictions beyond his recommendation Americans wear masks indoors in public settings.
The White House released Biden’s plan early Thursday morning, in advance of the speech. Full details can be found here.
People walk down a Manhattan street on October 26, 2021 in New York City. Even as NYC’s Covid case count continues to fall, many health experts and epidemiologists believe the city, and much of the world, will be living with Covid-19 long into the future. (Spencer Platt/Getty)
The Biden administration has come to view widespread adoption of booster shots as its most effective tool for combating COVID-19 this winter.
Medical experts say boosters provide enhanced and more enduring protection against COVID-19, including new variants, according to AP.
About 100 million Americans are eligible for boosters under current U.S. policy, with more becoming eligible every day, building on a push that started earlier in the year.
Convincing those who have already been vaccinated to get another dose, officials believe, will be far easier than vaccinating the roughly 43 million adult Americans who haven’t gotten a shot despite widespread public pressure campaigns to roll up their sleeves.
So far about 42 million Americans, about half of them seniors, have received a booster dose.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week broadened its booster dose recommendation to cover all Americans aged at least 18 starting six months after their second dose of the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer or Moderna.
AP contributed to this report