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As Omicron Surges, Effort to Vaccinate Young Children Stalls + More
As Omicron Surges, Effort to Vaccinate Young Children Stalls
Two months after Pfizer’s covid vaccine was authorized for children ages 5 to 11, just 27 percent have received at least one shot, according to Jan. 12 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only 18 percent, or 5 million kids, have both doses.
The national effort to vaccinate children has stalled even as the omicron variant upends schooling for millions of children and their families amid staffing shortages, shutdowns and heated battles over how to safely operate.
EMA Lists Rare Spinal Condition as Side Effect of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 shot
A safety panel of the European drug regulator on Friday recommended adding a rare spinal inflammation called transverse myelitis as a side effect of AstraZeneca‘s (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine.
The vaccine has faced several setbacks, including production delays and probes by regulators following rare cases of severe side effects such as blood clots with low platelets, which led to several countries restricting or stopping its use.
New York COVID Numbers Finally Trending Down, Gov. Hochul Says
New York is finally starting to turn the corner on the latest wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday.
The COVID positivity rate and the seven-day case average, which exploded to staggering new highs amid the spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant, are now trending downward, Hochul said at a press conference in Albany.
“There will come a time when we can say it’s all over,” Hochul said. “We’re not there yet, but boy, it’s on the horizon and we’ve waited a long time for that.”
Bill Gates Says ‘COVID Can Be Treated More Like Seasonal Flu’ After Omicron surge peaks
As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic and case numbers break previous record highs, billionaire Microsoft cofounder-turned-philanthropist Bill Gates sees a potential end in the near future.
“Once Omicron goes through a country, then the rest of the year should see far fewer cases,” Gates told University of Edinburgh chair of global public health Devi Sridhar during a Twitter Q&A this week. “So COVID can be treated more like seasonal flu.”
Expect Another Omicron Wave in Early Summer, Sage Says
Scientists advising the government have predicted there will be a fresh wave of Omicron cases in the early summer as people resume social activities and immunity wanes.
But experts on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said they were increasingly confident that the worst-case scenarios for the current wave are very unlikely to occur, with the latest modeling suggesting a peak of fewer than 4,000 hospitalizations each day.
Peak Omicron? Experts Wary of Calling Time on Variant Wave in Europe
A surge in coronavirus cases caused by the Omicron variant may have peaked in some parts of Europe but medics say the impact will continue to be felt across the region, with hospitals still at risk of facing a rush of admissions.
Health experts and politicians warn against complacency, saying it is not yet clear whether their data reflect the full impact of the Christmas and New Year holidays, when families gathered for long periods indoors and the risk of intergenerational spread of the virus may be greater.
More UK Infants in Hospital Amid Omicron Wave but Experts Urge Calm
The proportion of infants in hospital with COVID-19 in the UK has risen with the spread of Omicron, figures suggest, although researchers have urged calm, noting most cases are very mild.
The number of Covid-positive admissions, whatever the cause, is expected to rise when there is more infection around, but the latest figures suggest there has been a shift in the proportion of children in hospital with coronavirus who are infants.
Romania to Launch COVID-19 Jabs for Children 5 to 11
U.S. News & World Report reported:
Children in Romania aged between 5-11 will be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19 starting late January, authorities said, as the country grappled Friday with a virus surge and low adult vaccination rates.
Parents or legal guardians can schedule appointments starting this week to get their children inoculated with Pfizer jabs that will be available from Jan. 26, the national vaccination committee said Thursday.
Israel Says 500K Have Received 4th Vaccine Dose
Israel has administered a 4th vaccine dose to more than 500,000 people, the Health Ministry said Friday.
Israel was among the first countries to roll out vaccines a year ago and began widely offering third doses last summer in a bid to contain the Delta variant. Nearly half the population has received at least one booster shot.
COVID Vaccine for Babies to Roll out by April in Israel + More
COVID Vaccine for Babies to Roll out by April in Israel
International Business Times reported:
Babies and toddlers in Israel will be eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccines in a few months, according to the country’s health officials.
“In Israel, vaccines are available now for everybody aged 5 and over. I believe by April this will be expanded for any age above 6 months,” Dr. Asher Shalmon, the Israeli Health Ministry’s director of international relations, said during a press briefing to foreign policymakers and journalists this week, The Times of Israel reported.
Shalmon did not reveal which vaccine brands would be available to children in the age bracket should they become eligible for the jabs.
Pfizer, which co-developed the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, is currently in the process of conducting clinical trials to lower the approved age for its vaccine from 5 years to 6 months.
DOH: Breakthrough COVID Cases on the Rise During Omicron Surge
Breakthrough COVID-19 cases are on the rise during the latest surge in Washington state, the Department of Health said Thursday.
The DOH says current reporting shows a 43% increase in the number of breakthrough cases. While the majority experienced mild or no symptoms, at least 3% were hospitalized, a press release said.
Which Way to Go? Coping With Whiplash From CDC Guidelines
Part of the COVID-19 “new normal” is looking to public health officials for guidance on how to safely navigate the ever-changing pandemic landscape. With the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has adapted and re-adapted guidelines, leaving the public and healthcare professionals alike confused and questioning their intent.
To be sure, COVID-19 is evolving quickly and most everyone is trying to keep up, including leading healthcare professionals who look to the CDC for guidance. Yet the CDC has faced repeated backlash for unclear guidelines.
18-Year-Old Brazilian Model Valentina Boscardin Dies of COVID
Valentina Boscardin, a Brazilian model, died due to COVID complications last week aged just 18. She had been fully vaccinated against COVID and was also healthy before falling ill with the virus, according to various Spanish-language news outlets. She reportedly passed away on Sunday.
CNN Portugal, as well as Brazilian journalist Felipeh Campos, via his Instagram account, reported that Boscardin had suffered a blood clot during her COVID infection. Newsweek has been unable to verify this.
Anthony Fauci Has Had Enough
Dr. Anthony Fauci appears to have lost patience with his critics in recent weeks, reacting angrily to criticism of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and suggestions that he has not been honest in his dealings with Congress.
Fauci, who is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), had angry exchanges with senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) at a hearing of the Senate Health Committee on Tuesday and was heard on a hot mic calling Marshall a “moron.”
Fauci’s willingness to clash openly with critics contrasts with the avuncular image he enjoyed toward the beginning of the pandemic.
Biden to Send More Military Medics to U.S. Hospitals in COVID Hotspots
President Joe Biden on Thursday said he was deploying more military health workers to hospitals in six U.S. states, and would give Americans free masks and more free tests to tackle the fast-spreading Omicron variant around the country.
The phased dispatch of 1,000 military health personnel beginning next week comes as U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations hit a record high with Omicron overtaking Delta as the dominant variant of the coronavirus and health facilities facing a staffing crunch.
In the first wave of the deployment, teams of military doctors, nurses and other personnel will head to Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island to support at-capacity emergency rooms and free up overwhelmed hospital staff for non-COVID cases, the White House said.
NY Positivity Dips Again, Severe Case Growth Slows; 99% of U.S. High Transmission
Cautious optimism that New York has passed the peak of this furious Omicron wave strengthened a bit more Wednesday, with Gov. Kathy Hochul reporting declines in daily positivity and slowing growth in hospitalization rates for a third straight day.
The rolling positivity rate has declined in eight of New York’s 10 regions for the last three days, while the two reporting increases have seen just mild infection growth.
Cannabis Compounds Prevented COVID Infection in Laboratory Study
Cannabis compounds prevented the virus that causes COVID-19 from penetrating healthy human cells, according to a laboratory study published in the Journal of Nature Products.
The two compounds commonly found in hemp — called cannabigerolic acid, or CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid, or CBDA — were identified during a chemical screening effort as having potential to combat coronavirus, researchers from Oregon State University said. In the study, they bound to spike proteins found on the virus and blocked a step the pathogen uses to infect people.
Germany Among First to Recommend COVID Booster for 12- to 17-Year-Olds
Germany’s vaccine committee recommended on Thursday that all children between the ages of 12 and 17 receive a COVID-19 booster shot as the country reported a new daily record of more than 81,000 coronavirus infections.
The move on booster shots makes Germany among the first countries in the world to make such a recommendation, following the United States, Israel and Hungary.
AstraZeneca Says Early Trial Data Indicates Third Dose Helps Against Omicron
AstraZeneca (AZN.L) said on Thursday that preliminary data from a trial showed that its COVID-19 shot, Vaxzevria, generated an increase in antibodies against the Omicron and other variants when given as a third booster dose.
The increased response, also against the Delta variant, was seen in a blood analysis of people who were previously vaccinated with either Vaxzevria or an mRNA vaccine, the drugmaker said, adding that it would submit this data to regulators worldwide given the urgent need for boosters.
Biden Administration Announces Additional Purchase of 500,000 AstraZeneca COVID Treatment Courses
The White House is “in the process of ordering another half-million courses of AstraZeneca‘s preventive therapy for immunocompromised individuals,” COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said at Wednesday’s COVID-19 briefing.
The US Food and Drug Administration authorized AstraZeneca’s Evusheld, a drug aimed at helping immune-compromised people from getting infected with the coronavirus, in December.
Evusheld is a monoclonal antibody, and doctors hoped to give it to their immune-compromised patients because it works in a different way than the vaccines.
Cutting the COVID Isolation Period to Five Days Is Foolhardy and Dangerous
There have been many changes to isolation rules in England but the science of how COVID-19 spreads has remained the same. During the first waves of the pandemic, people were required to isolate for 10 days after testing positive.
This was subsequently changed to seven days, so long as the person had a negative lateral flow test on days six and seven. Although data is still being collected on the impact of this change, the isolation period has been cut again: today, the health secretary, Sajid Javid, announced that people with COVID will only need to isolate for five days, so long as they show two negative lateral flow tests by day six.
Denmark to Offer 4th COVID Vaccine Shots to Special Groups
Denmark will offer fourth coronavirus vaccination shots to risk groups and vulnerable citizens as the pandemic situation in the country has worsened due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said Wednesday that health authorities would offer fourth vaccine jabs to the “most vulnerable groups” such as those with weakened immune systems.
Effective Jan. 16, Denmark will ease some of its coronavirus restrictions as lawmakers agreed to reopen cinemas, entertainment parks, museums and theaters among other venues. Also, limited numbers of spectators will be allowed at indoor and outdoor sports events.
America’s COVID Death Rate Drops to Record Low as Cases Reach Pandemic High + More
America’s COVID Death Rate Drops to Record Low as Cases Reach Pandemic High
The raging Omicron variant has pushed COVID-19 cases to record highs in the U.S., but America’s case fatality rate has dipped to 1.39%, its lowest mark since the first wave of cases struck in March 2020.
The U.S. mortality rate hovered around 1.6% from the end of August until mid-December when it started to drop.
The case-fatality ratio measures the number of confirmed deaths against the number of confirmed infections. It’s an imperfect measurement, as it doesn’t factor in the true number of cases or deaths, especially in a fluid situation like the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. FDA Amends J&J Vaccine Fact Sheet to Include Rare Bleeding Risk
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday amended the fact sheet for Johnson & Johnson‘s (JNJ.N) COVID-19 vaccine to include a rare risk of immune thrombocytopenia, a bleeding disorder.
“Reports of adverse events following use of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine under emergency use authorization suggest an increased risk of immune thrombocytopenia during the 42 days following vaccination,” the regulator said in a letter to J&J’s arm, Janssen Biotech Inc.
The symptoms include easy bruising or tiny blood spots under the skin, or unusual or excessive bleeding, the FDA said.
Europe’s Drug Regulator Warns Excessive COVID Boosters Could Lead to ‘Problems With Immune Response,’ Joining WHO in Pushback
Here’s another influential voice joining the growing pushback against overdoing it on the COVID booster front: the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
On Tuesday, EMA vaccine strategy chief Marco Cavaleri said there was still no data supporting the need for a fourth COVID vaccine dose. And even if multiple boosters do prove to be necessary, they would need to be spaced out in the style of annual flu jabs, rather than delivered every several months. He also warned that overly frequent booster doses could potentially lead to “problems with immune response.”
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said this week that it is still unclear whether fourth doses will be needed. Despite the lack of supporting data, Israel has moved to fourth Pfizer/BioNTech doses for over-60s, health workers, and immunocompromised people. Bourla’s counterpart at Moderna, Stéphane Bancel, said last week that additional boosters could become necessary by the coming fall.
Fauci: Omicron Will Infect ‘Just About Everybody’
Infectious disease expert and White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci said Tuesday that “just about everybody” will eventually be infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
“Omicron, with its extraordinary, unprecedented degree of efficiency of transmissibility, will, ultimately, find just about everybody,” Fauci told the Center for Strategic and International Studies during a “fireside chat.”
“Those who have been vaccinated and vaccinated and boosted would get exposed. Some, maybe a lot of them, will get infected but will very likely, with some exceptions, do reasonably well in the sense of not having hospitalization and death,” he added.
Omicron May Be Headed for a Rapid Drop in Britain, U.S.
Scientists are seeing signals that COVID-19′s alarming Omicron wave may have peaked in Britain and is about to do the same in the U.S., at which point cases may start dropping off dramatically.
The reason: The variant has proved so wildly contagious that it may already be running out of people to infect, just a month and a half after it was first detected in South Africa.
“It’s going to come down as fast as it went up,” said Ali Mokdad, a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Bill Gates Says Countries Will Report ‘Far Fewer’ Cases of COVID After Omicron Hits Peak
Bill Gates predicted Tuesday that after the Omicron wave of COVID outbreaks dies down, countries will see fewer positive cases for the rest of the year, ultimately creating an environment where COVID could be treated like seasonal flu, the billionaire philanthropist said during a live Q&A session on Twitter.
A country should record “far fewer” cases of COVID-19 throughout the rest of the year after Omicron “goes through” it, in which case COVID can be “treated more like seasonal flu,” he said.
COVID Loses 90% of Ability to Infect Within 20 Minutes in Air — Study
Coronavirus loses 90% of its ability to infect us within 20 minutes of becoming airborne — with most of the loss occurring within the first five minutes, the world’s first simulations of how the virus survives in exhaled air suggest.
“People have been focused on poorly ventilated spaces and thinking about airborne transmission over metres or across a room. I’m not saying that doesn’t happen, but I think still the greatest risk of exposure is when you’re close to someone,” said Prof Jonathan Reid, director of the University of Bristol’s Aerosol Research Centre and the study’s lead author.
GOP Senators Seek China Sanctions for Blocking Probes Into COVID Origins
Republican lawmakers in the Senate have introduced a bill to sanction Chinese officials who continue to obstruct independent investigations into the origins of the coronavirus. It would also end all federal funding for joint projects with the country’s national academy.
The Coronavirus Origin Validation, Investigation, and Determination (COVID) Act of 2022 submitted by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and co-sponsored by more than a dozen GOP colleagues was also put to Congress last year.
It gives Beijing 90 days after enactment to grant a team of international scientists unfettered access to laboratories in the first COVID-19 epicenter in central China, including the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).
Dr. Fauci: ‘Universal Coronavirus Vaccines’ Could Help the World Tackle COVID — and the Next Pandemic
There’s a new kind of vaccine on the horizon — and it could help target all coronaviruses, not just COVID-19.
On Tuesday, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci testified to Congress about the country’s efforts to develop a pan-coronavirus vaccine, meant to combat both COVID and other similar viruses that could emerge in the coming years.
The short-term applications of a vaccine that effectively tackles all forms of COVID could be significant, Fauci said: “We won’t be chasing after the next variant.” Longer term, Fauci said, the development of a universal coronavirus vaccine could help prevent the world’s next pandemic.
FDA Extends Shelf Life for Millions of Expired Coronavirus Test Kits in Florida
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) extended the expiration date for almost a million COVID-19 rapid tests that first expired in a Florida warehouse in September.
The FDA was able to extend the expiration date for the tests for three months using the product’s emergency use authorization. The tests had already expired once in September and were extended until late December by the federal government at that time, according to the Miami Herald.
White House Will Double COVID Tests for Schools
The Biden administration on Wednesday announced a new set of measures to keep classes open, including doubling COVID-19 testing capacity in schools with 10 million more tests, as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly through the United States.
The number of COVID-19 tests available to schools will be increased by 10 million per month, the White House said in a statement, saying this will help schools more than double the volume of testing compared to November 2021.
Half of the new free rapid tests will be distributed each month to help kindergarten to 12th grade (K-12) schools remain open, the statement said, while lab capacity will be available to support five million monthly PCR tests for schools.
Over One-Third of Vaccinated Americans Became Infected With COVID After the Jab + More
Over One-Third of Vaccinated Americans Became Infected With COVID After the Jab: Poll
Over one-third of Americans vaccinated against COVID-19 now say they became infected with the virus after being fully inoculated, signifying how the highly contagious Omicron variant has driven an increase in breakthrough cases.
In a new poll released by Axios/Ispos on Tuesday, 36% of respondents said they either recently tested positive or believe they had COVID after being fully vaccinated. That compares to just 22% of respondents in mid-December, and only 6% from last summer, according to the poll.
COVID Deaths in U.S. Military Spike in Last Four Months Despite 96% Being Vaccinated
Over the 18 months between March 2020 to August 2021, America’s armed forces experienced 43 deaths attributed to COVID-19. Over the past four months, from September through December, the military has seen the same number of deaths, according to a report from the Pentagon reviewed by Newsweek.
This increase in military deaths comes despite the fact that 96% of active-duty soldiers being fully vaccinated, a memo by the Pentagon states.
Dr. Fauci, CDC Director Dr. Walensky and Other Health Leaders Testify Before Senate on U.S. Omicron Response
The top health leaders in the U.S. will testify before the Senate on Tuesday about the federal response to the Omicron COVID variant, as new infections and hospitalizations reach pandemic highs.
The Senate health committee will hear testimony from White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, and acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock.
Fauci Thought COVID Lab Leak Theory Was ‘Shiny Object’ That Would Go Away in Time
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, advised against squelching the theory that the coronavirus originated in a lab because he believed the hypothesis would eventually go away.
House Republicans are requesting an interview with Fauci regarding the origin of the virus, a contentious topic between GOP members and the nation’s top infectious disease expert. Republican Representatives James Comer and Jim Jordan accused the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of “hiding information” about the pandemic’s origin, and top public health officials have dismissed the lab theory as the least likely scenario.
In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, the Republicans said seven questions need to be answered, including what led public health experts to dismiss the lab leak theory.
House Republicans Release Damning Fauci Emails Suggesting Concealed Knowledge of Lab Leak
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have released several emails which suggest Dr. Anthony Fauci may have known that COVID-19 originated from a lab leak, and that it may have been “intentionally genetically manipulated.”
“We write to request a transcribed interview of Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Excerpts of emails we are making public today (see enclosed Appendix I) reveal that Dr. Fauci was warned of two things: (1) the potential that COVID-19 leaked from the Wuhan Institute Virology (WIV) and (2) the possibility that the virus was intentionally genetically manipulated.
It is imperative we investigate if this information was conveyed to the rest of the government and whether this information would have changed the U.S. response to the pandemic,” reads the letter from Reps. James Comer and Jim Jordan to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.
‘Comorbidities’ Meaning Explained as CDC Director’s COVID Comments Go Viral
A comment about “comorbidities” in relation to COVID-19 deaths made by Rochelle Walensky, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during a recent interview sparked backlash after a clip of the interview went viral.
During an interview Friday with ABC‘s Good Morning America (GMA) show, Walensky said: “The overwhelming number of [COVID-19] death, over 75%, occurred in people who had at least four comorbidities,” during her answer to GMA co-host Cecilia Vega’s question about whether it’s time to “start rethinking how we’re living with this virus.”
Jake Tapper Rails Against ‘Misleading’ CDC COVID Hospitalization Numbers
CNN anchor Jake Tapper has criticized as “misleading” the admission by the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that it counted COVID patients who had been admitted to hospitals for something else.
Tapper was reacting to comments CDC director Rochelle Walensky made on Fox News on Sunday that “up to 40%” of patients had been admitted to hospitals with another medical emergency but had been later detected as having COVID.
Tapper said if up to 40% of patients in hospital “don’t necessarily have problematic COVID” and are there if “they bumped their head, and they’re being included as [being] in the hospital with COVID. That number seems kind of misleading.”
United Cuts Flights as About 3,000 Workers Call out Sick From COVID
United Airlines is trimming its schedule to address a surge in sick calls among employees, CEO Scott Kirby told employees.
U.S. airlines canceled thousands of flights over the year-end holidays through early this year due to COVID infections among crews and a series of winter storms. United first cut some flights before Christmas.
United has about 3,000 workers who are currently positive for COVID, Kirby said in the staff memo. That is about 4% of its U.S. workforce.
3,700 TSA Screeners Have Active COVID Infections, a 1,243% Jump Since Thanksgiving
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is reporting 3,694 employees with active COVID-19 infections, according to agency data, roughly 7% of the agency’s screeners. For context, the week before the Omicron variant was first identified in the United States, there were 275 positive COVID-19 cases among the TSA’s ranks.
November 22, 2021 was the deadline by which all federal employees must either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or get a religious or medical exemption, per President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate.
Over 96% of TSA employees are currently fully vaccinated, a statistic that has likely saved many from serious illness and hospitalization. “The chief objective remains full compliance with the vaccination requirement and a workforce protected against hospitalization and death from COVID-19,” Langston said.
Free Families From Closed Schools
Closed schools harm children. Children are COVID‘s lowest-risk demographic, but our nation’s elementary and high-school students have suffered the most throughout the pandemic thanks to negligent and callous policymakers.
COVID-era school closures and abysmal remote learning endanger children academically, emotionally and physically. Closing schools leads to devastating learning loss, significant mental health issues, and higher rates of suicide and obesity. As David Leonhardt wrote in The New York Times, “American children are starting 2022 in crisis.”
Even in areas with open schools, parents and students are subjected to complicated and excessive COVID testing and quarantine requirements, which keep students out of classrooms and extracurricular activities.
Chicago Teachers Union Leaders Strike Deal to Resume In-Person Classes
Chicago Public Schools could resume in-person classes this week after Chicago Teachers Union leaders agreed to a new set of COVID-19 protocols. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Monday that teachers would return to campuses on Tuesday with in-person instruction restarting Wednesday.
The agreement still needs to be approved by the full union, but the Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates voted to suspend the online learning plan they launched last week as rank-and-file membership votes. The tentative agreement comes after four days of canceled classes.
Last week’s attempt by CTU to swtich to remote learning amid a surge in COVID-19 cases prompted Chicago Public Schools to cancel all classes. The district, the third largest in the country, locked teachers out of their online teaching programs and withheld pay for the days they did not report for in-person instruction.
Home COVID Tests to Be Covered by Insurers Starting Saturday
Starting Saturday, private health insurers will be required to cover up to eight home COVID-19 tests per month for people on their plans. The Biden administration announced the change Monday as it looks to lower costs and make testing for the virus more convenient amid rising frustrations.
Under the new policy, first detailed to the AP, Americans will be able to either purchase home testing kits for free under their insurance or submit receipts for the tests for reimbursement, up to the monthly per-person limit.
A family of four, for instance, could be reimbursed for up to 32 tests per month. PCR tests and rapid tests ordered or administered by a health provider will continue to be fully covered by insurance with no limit.
Later this month, the federal government will launch a website to begin making 500 million at-home COVID-19 tests available via mail.
U.S. Secures 600,000 More Doses of GSK-Vir’s COVID Therapy
The United States has agreed to buy 600,000 more doses of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) and Vir Biotechnology’s (VIR.O) COVID-19 antibody therapy for an undisclosed sum, as the country bolsters its arsenal of treatments against the Omicron coronavirus variant.
The U.S. government in November had signed contracts worth about $1 billion for an unknown number of doses of the treatment, after saying it would control the distribution of sotrovimab in the country.
The drug belongs to a class of medicines called monoclonal antibodies which are lab-generated compounds that mimic the body’s natural defences. Tests have indicated sotrovimab works against the fast-spreading Omicron variant.