By Marie Rosenthal, MS
As five states confirm cases of COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant, President Joe Biden announced new COVID-19 measures that rely on vaccination and testing, rather than lockdowns, to keep omicron from getting a similar stronghold as delta in the United States.
Although he reiterated that omicron is a variant of concern, not panic, it is an issue that should be addressed. “Experts say the COVID-19 cases are [expected to] continue to rise in the weeks ahead and this winter. So we need to be ready,” he said.
“I’ve used the combined advice from all of you when we developed this plan, and it doesn’t include shutdowns or lockdowns, but widespread vaccinations and boosters, testing and a lot more,” he said, speaking at the National Institutes of Health today.
He said he hopes the plan will bring people together and stop some of the divisiveness that has occurred because of COVID-19.
“We can do what we haven’t been able to do enough through this whole pandemic—get the nation to come together, unite the nation for a common purpose to fight this fire, to protect one another, to protect our economic recovery and to think of it in terms of literally a patriotic responsibility, rather than somehow you’re denying people their basic rights,” Mr. Biden said.
The plan centers on the following:
- boosters for all adults;
- vaccinations to protect children and keep schools open;
- expanding free at-home testing;
- stronger public health protocols for safe international travel;
- workplace protections to keep our economy open;
- an increased number of rapid response teams;
- supplying oral treatments to reduce hospitalizations and deaths;
- an increased commitment to global vaccination efforts; and
- ensuring better preparation against new variants.
After the World Health Organization named omicron a variant of concern, the president restricted travel from the most impacted countries to give the United States time to learn more about the variant and prepare. The country is in a better position today than it was even just this last summer when delta moved in: Nearly 60% of Americans are fully vaccinated, booster shots are authorized for all adults, and a vaccine is authorized for kids aged 5 years and older. The United States is leading the world in vaccinating children, and millions of Americans have already gotten their boosters. The FDA also is reviewing additional antiviral treatments for when people do become infected and ill.
Boosters for All Adults
Mr. Biden announced new steps to ensure that the nearly 100 million eligible Americans who have not yet gotten their booster shots get one as soon as possible. He said boosters strengthen the antibody response, so when the virus mutates, a booster makes it more likely that antibodies developed will protect the person against the new variant.
Additional steps are being taken to increase vaccination:
- Expanding pharmacy availability through December and reaching out to all eligible customers to get their boosters. Pharmacy partners are launching broad-based outreach campaigns to encourage the public to get their boosters, and are sending millions of texts, calls and emails to eligible customers with information on how to schedule an appointment or walk in for their booster shot. In addition, pharmacy partners will continue to offer call center services to support members of the public who need assistance, including in multiple languages.
- Launching a new public education campaign to encourage adults to get boosters, with a special focus on seniors.
- Collaborating with AARP on an education campaign focused on getting seniors boosted, including holding town halls and providing rides to booster shot locations. For more information, call (800) 232-0233.
- Targeting outreach to Medicare beneficiaries. This will include sending a notice from the CMS Administrator to all Medicare beneficiaries, encouraging them to get boosted and providing information about how to easily access a booster shot in their community. Approximately 63 million people are enrolled in Medicare, and this is the first time in more than four years that Medicare has sent all Medicare beneficiaries a notice of this kind
- Calling on employers to follow the federal government’s lead and provide paid time off to their employees to get boosted.
Keeping Schools Open
- Providing more programs to vaccinate children so that schools can stay open.
- Launching hundreds of family vaccination clinics to get the whole family vaccinated or boosted in one trusted and convenient location.
- Requiring Medicaid to pay health care providers to talk to families about getting their kids vaccinated.
- Reviewing school COVID-19 prevention policies to avoid closures of entire classrooms or schools when there is a positive case.
- In addition, the CDC will release findings on quarantine and testing policies in schools.
- The administration will issue a new “Safe School Checklist” to give schools a clear game plan for how to get as many of their staff and students vaccinated as quickly as possible.
- Work with the FDA to get authorization for vaccinating children younger than 5 years of age.
Testing
- Expanding free at-home testing for Americans.
- Providing health plan coverage of no-cost rapid, over-the-counter COVID-19 tests.
- Expanding community distribution of free at-home tests through neighborhood sites such as health centers and rural clinics.
Travel
Last month, the administration implemented stronger international travel protocols, including requirements for foreign travelers to be fully vaccinated, and restricted travel from regions where there was confirmed spread. The president announced additional steps to strengthen the safety of international travel, including:
- strengthening global predeparture testing protocols, which will go into effect early next week; and
- extending the requirement to wear a mask on airplanes, rail travel and public transportation.
The Workplace
- To ensure workers stay safe and on the job, Americans must slow the spread of COVID-19 in workplaces and places of business. Mr. Biden called on businesses to continue to take steps to ensure workers are vaccinated during the winter:
- He asked businesses to move forward with vaccination or testing programs.
- Increased the number of rapid response teams to more than 60 that can help states respond to outbreaks.
- Strengthened the national volunteer emergency medical response corps to support communities in need.
- Ensure that when oral COVID-19 medications become available, the United States will obtain a good supply and ensure equitable distribution of them throughout the country.
He recommitted to efforts to ensure that countries around the globe have access to vaccinations. Today, the country has committed to donating 1.2 billion doses of vaccine, and the president also wants manufacturers to look into ways to quickly update vaccines and boosters to respond to variants to ensure future preparedness.
“The plan I’m announcing today pulls no punches in the fight against COVID-19,” Mr. Biden said. “And it’s a plan that I think should unite us. I know COVID-19 has been very divisive in this country, has become a political issue, which is a sad, sad commentary. It shouldn’t be.
“As we move into the winter and face the challenges of this new variant, this is a moment we can put the divisiveness behind us,” he said.
