Washington: The Biden administration announced that it would restart a programme that provided free coronavirus tests to American households through the Postal Service, part of a new push by the government to head off rises in virus cases and hospitalisations as winter approaches.
The programme, which was paused in September after distributing over 600 million tests, is restarting after federal officials dipped into what the White House said was “existing, limited funding. ” Households will be able to order four Covid tests now.
The tests are a part of a larger Covid-19 "winter readiness strategy" that the White House unveiled in response to growing concern over an increase in viral cases nationwide due to the cold weather. Over the last two weeks, cases have increased by about 55%, while deaths have increased by about 65%. Hospital admissions have increased by almost 20%, placing further burden on healthcare facilities already overwhelmed by flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) outbreaks.
Two Omicron subvariants, BQ. 1 and BQ. 1. 1, have largely driven the climb in coronavirus cases. They now make up around two-thirds of cases in the US and can dodge prior immune defences more easily than other recent variants.
The Biden administration has been advising Americans to obtain one of the newly reformulated booster injections that were issued in September in order to refresh their protection, but the response to the new shots has been muted. Only about 14% of Americans aged 5 and up have received an updated booster. Barely a third of persons aged 65 and older, a group that includes those who are more susceptible to Covid-19, have had one of the new doses. As part of the winter plan, the administration said it would expand those eligible to vaccinate the elderly to include staff members at nursing homes.