Biden Govt To Provide 500 Million More Free COVID Tests As Cases Surge in the US

Joe Biden. Image used for representational purposes.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@LopezResists)

US President Joe Biden announced on Thursday, 14 January, that his administration would double its previous promise of providing 500 million rapid, at-home COVID tests for free, amidst a surge in cases of the Omicron variant in the country.

In addition to the 1 billion free COVID tests, N95 masks will be provided by the government.

The president also announced that 1,000 military medical personnel would be deployed across the United States to aid the under-pressure medical facilities.

He also said that the American people were frustrated with the pandemic, but asserted that it was now one for the unvaccinated to deal with.

Stating that while both the vaccinated and unvaccinated could contract the virus, Biden said data showed that people were much less likely to suffer from a serious case of COVID if they got jabbed.

According to data from the Department of Health and Human Services, 145,982 people were hospitalised in the country as of 11 January.

Meanwhile, the US Supreme Court, in a 6-3 vote, blocked the Biden administration's vaccine mandate on Thursday, 13 January, that required employees of large American businesses to get jabbed or get tested on a regular basis.

In response to the ruling, Biden said in a White House statement, "The Court has ruled that my administration cannot use the authority granted to it by Congress to require this measure, but that does not stop me from using my voice as President to advocate for employers to do the right thing to protect Americans' health and economy."