WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday addressed the nation regarding the Omicron variant, announcing that the federal government will begin distributing COVID-19 testing kits to Americans.
The tests will be available to any American that requests a kit through an online portal. The kits will arrive through the mail and deliveries will begin in January, according to Biden. It is unclear when that portal will be available or how to access it.
Biden said that 500,000 million test kits had been purchased for this purpose.
The president also noted that the U.S. government had stockpiled masks and ventilators. These supplies will be distributed to the states that need them according to Biden. These items were in high demand at the onset of the pandemic during early 2020.
In addition to making available these stockpiles, Biden announced that he will mobilize 1,000 military doctors and nurses to alleviate staffing strains in hospitals around the country. Previous surges of COVID-19 left many hospitals in need of additional frontline workers.
Statewide hospitalizations have been on the rise again in recent weeks, with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reporting 1,682 on Monday.
The president also urged those who have not been vaccinated to do so.
“Get vaccinated now,” Biden said. “It’s free. It’s convenient. I promise you, it saves lives. And I, honest to God, believe it’s your patriotic duty.”
During his address, President Biden noted that former President Donald Trump received his booster shot.
During a recent talking tour,Trump announced, alongside former Fox TV show host Bill O’Reilly, that he had all three COVID-19 vaccine shots — including the booster.
Biden also credited the Trump Administration with the country’s early reception of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Thanks to the prior administration and our scientific community, America is one of the first countries to get the vaccine,” the president said. “And thanks to my administration and the hard work of Americans, we led a rollout that made America among the world leaders in getting shots in arms.”
The president contends that his mandate — which calls on all businesses with 100 or more employees to require vaccinations — is legal, as upheld last week by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. That decision overturned a stay issued by the Fifth Circuit.
“I know vaccination requirements are unpopular for many. They’re not even popular for those who are anxious to get them,” Biden said.
“But my administration has put them in place not to control your life, but to save your life and the lives of others,” the president continued. “Over 400,000 Americans died from COVID this calendar year — and almost all were unvaccinated, almost all were preventable.”
Locally, at least nine COVID-related deaths were of patients who were vaccinated, according to Richmond County Health Director Cheryl Speight.
There have been 155 COVID-related deaths in the county since April of 2020. The most recent was reported Monday.
Biden’s announcement comes on the heels of the emergence of the Omicron variant, which was first reported in South Africa on Nov. 24, 2021 according to the World Health Organization.
America saw its first case of the new variant on Dec. 1, and the state’s first Omicron case was reported Dec. 10 by Mecklenburg County Public Health and involved a student at UNC-Charlotte.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, outgoing secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, recently issued an advisory saying the Omicron variant is “highly contagious” — four to six times more so than the original virus.
The Richmond County Health Department reported 15 new cases on Tuesday and 20,433 total vaccinations.
The RO’s William R. Toler contributed to this story.
