On Thursday, President Joe Biden unveiled his strategy for fighting the COVID virus this winter, which calls for free testing, encouraging physicians to give people the vaccination, and having a ton of equipment on hand.
According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID instances are increasing, especially after the Thanksgiving break, and hospital beds are 80% occupied. Residents in certain parts of the nation are being urged to use masks once again in indoor public venues.
For the week ending December 7, there were over 3,000 COVID fatalities that were recorded. The seven-day average of COVID cases increased significantly from an average of nearly 307,000 cases for the week ending Nov. 30 to over 459,000 infections for the week ending Dec. 7.
Authorities on health are concerned that number may rise as families congregate inside over the impending Christmas season.
Someone will have some protection by Christmas if they get vaccinated tomorrow. But it’s not like people stop socializing on Christmas Day,’ Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House’s COVID-19 response coordinator, said CNN. Therefore, it is essential to be vaccinated as soon as feasible to provide protection for as long as possible.
Concerns are exacerbated by the increase in other respiratory illnesses.
In fact, some specialists are concerned about a COVID, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus, or R.S.V., “tripledemic.”
80% of general beds are now occupied countrywide, which indicates that business is as brisk as it has ever been during COVID. Hospitalizations for the flu and RSV are at 13-year highs and unusually high levels, respectively.
However, the government is especially promoting the COVID vaccination since COVID may spread far more easily even when a person is asymptomatic, while RSV and the flu are mostly shared when a person is ill.
We are extremely aware that this surge in COVID is occurring in the midst of one of the worst flu seasons in a decade as well as a very poor RSV season, Jha added.
He advised Americans to remain in this Christmas season if they are feeling unwell.
You can’t distribute a virus to other individuals because you don’t know what virus you have, Jha added.
Every home will once again get four free COVID tests thanks to the government. Tests may be obtained via the U.S. Postal system at COVIDTests.gov and will start arriving next week.
After Congress failed to approve more COVID funding, the free testing program was discontinued three months ago. The White House said at the time that it wished to save resources for the winter.
According to Politico, the Department of Health and Human Services purchased extra quick tests for the free test program using remaining cash from the American Rescue Plan, the March 2021 COVID relief plan.
In all, 600 million were distributed over the program’s first two stages.
The Biden administration also states that the Strategic National Stockpile has “over 100,000 ventilators, billions of gloves, hundreds of millions of N-95 masks, and tens of millions of gowns.”
These materials have already been placed in key areas around the nation and are prepared for usage.
A senior administration official told the Associated Press that while there haven’t been any calls for aid so far, surge teams, ventilators, and personal protective equipment are prepared.
The White House said on Thursday that the government is also requesting that hospitals “vaccinate their unvaccinated patients or make sure they are up-to-date on COVID-19 immunizations before they are released.”
A pandemic playbook for nursing facilities is also being made available, and governors are being offered assistance with mobile and pop-up vaccination stations.
As most individuals have returned to their regular, pre-pandemic lifestyles, the government has had a difficult time persuading Americans to receive their COVID booster dose.
Less than half of nursing home patients have received the necessary COVID shots. By November 27, according to CDC statistics, just 46% of people had accepted the most recent offer, compared to just 23% of nursing care workers.
According to CDC statistics, just 13.5% of persons aged 5 and older who are eligible for the revised booster vaccine have received it.
The White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha, First Lady Jill Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the president of the AARP all appeared together at an event in the South Court Auditorium last week as part of the administration’s attempt to anticipate a new wave.
The goal was to provide Americans over 50—the AARP target audience—with the most current booster dose, a bivalent vaccination that protects against both the original COVID strain and its Omicron version.
If Americans had their booster doses now, according to Dr. Biden, COVID outbreaks around the holidays would be less probable.
Knowing what it’s like to lose them to a fatal condition that has kept us away makes these times feel more more valuable today, according to Biden. This is why getting your current COVID vaccination is the most crucial thing you can do to be ready for the holidays.
‘And if you buy it now, you’ll be safeguarded in time for winter holiday celebrations,’ she observed.
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