Biden’s winter COVID-19 plan includes free at-home tests
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President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a new nine-point plan to combat COVID-19 during the winter months that will make at-home tests free and tighten restrictions on people traveling to the United States.
The plan was announced a day after officials confirmed the first U.S. case of the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.
“The plan that I am announcing today pulls no punches in the fight against COVID-19, and it’s a plan that I think should unite us,” Biden said during an address, noting that the pandemic “has been very divisive in this country.”
“Now, as we move into the winter and face the challenges of this new variant, this is a moment we can put the divisiveness behind us, I hope,” he said.
According to the plan, people with private health insurance will be able to get at-home tests reimbursed by their insurance company. Those without private insurance will be able to access free at-home tests at community health centers and clinics.
Making at-home tests more available and affordable was a focus of the previous national plan Biden announced in September, but the U.S. continues to lag behind other countries in this area, experts have said.
Amesh A. Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said the cost of at-home tests in the U.S. has made them too expensive to be used optimally.
“Insurance reimbursement is not something that happens real time and amounts to more government involvement in the insurance industry,” Adalja told Healio. “Why are the costs so high? It may be because these tests are regulated as medical diagnostic tests and not public health tests, and therefore, have onerous regulatory requirements to me, which are costly. These costs are passed on to consumers.”
Adalja suggested that COVID-19 tests could be given out the way fentanyl strips are distributed to injection drug users to test heroin for the presence of the synthetic opioid.
“They are harm reduction tools and that is how home tests should be thought of,” he said.
Under the new plan, the U.S. will now require all inbound international travelers to provide a negative COVID-19 test within a day of travel, regardless of vaccination status. The administration had previously said that vaccinated travelers could provide a negative test taken within 3 days before traveling.
Additionally, the White House said a mask mandate for all public transportation will remain in effect until at least March 18. Fines will double for each instance of noncompliance, from a minimum of $500 up to $3,000.
The new plan also includes steps to get more Americans a COVID-19 booster shot.
Earlier this week, the CDC expanded its booster recommendation to say that anyone aged 18 years should older should receive an addition dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Pharmacies across the nation will launch outreach campaigns to encourage adults to receive booster doses, and HHS will begin a public education campaign for boosters, with a focus on seniors, the White House said.
Biden again asked companies to offer employees paid time off to receive a booster dose and for employees to bring family members or children to get vaccinated. He said AARP has committed to helping deliver free rides to seniors to get booster shots.
The other six points of the plan focus on vaccinating children to keep schools open, ensuring workplace protections, deploying rapid response teams to help battle rising cases, supplying treatment pills to prevent hospitalizations and deaths, continuing to help the global vaccine effort, and ensuring the U.S. is “prepared for all scenarios,” the White House said.
Pediatric vaccines and ‘test to stay’ strategy
According to the plan, there will be an effort to launch hundreds of family vaccine clinics. The clinics, which will expand nationally, will offer vaccines for entire families, including primary and booster doses for parents, teens, and children.
Additionally, Medicaid programs will pay health care providers to speak with parents about the importance of vaccinating their children against COVID-19. Medicaid also will cover vaccine counseling for all youth up to 21 years, according to the plan.
To ensure schools remain open, the administration will issue a new “Safe School Checklist,” which will provide schools with a clear plan to get as many staff and students vaccinated as possible.
Additionally, Biden said the CDC is reviewing new approaches, including “test-to-stay policies,” that could allow students to remain in school and be tested frequently after a classmate tests positive.
“Up to now, you go home, and you quarantine,” Biden said. “But rather than be sent home to quarantine, they’ll be able to stay, because a test will be available and regularly.”
Protecting workplaces
Biden called on employers to require their workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or be required to test weekly.
Currently, more than 60% of private businesses report they are moving forward with vaccination mandates, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is encouraging companies not to delay these implementations.
In August, Biden announced a mandate that would require almost 100 million U.S. workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. However, the mandate remains stuck in the courts.
Rapid response teams
Biden announced the deployments of more than 60 winter COVID-19 emergency response teams, including more than 20 teams from the Department of Defense Medical Response Team and 10 teams from the National Disaster Medical System. The teams will be ready to support staffing at hospitals, if needed.
More than 20 teams will be composed of monoclonal antibody strike teams to offer treatments, and more than 15 teams of CDC experts will be deployed to conduct outbreak investigations.
Through the American Rescue Plan, $20 million will be allocated to strengthen the Medical Reserve Corps in order to provide additional resources for volunteers in the community, according to the plan.
Supplying treatment
The administration also said it is taking steps to obtain 13 million doses of antiviral courses to ensure an ample supply for the winter months.
According to the report, this is six times the amount used for COVID-19 hospitalizations this year.
Global vaccination efforts
Currently, the U.S. is committed to donating 1.2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine globally, the administration said. Biden pledged an additional 200 million more doses to be delivered within the next 100 days, with deliveries accelerated to countries in need.
‘Prepared for all scenarios’
The administration said it is working with Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson to develop a contingency plan for variant-specific vaccines or boosters, if needed.
Pfizer chairman and CEO Albert Bourla, DVM, PhD, indicated this week that a version of its COVID-19 vaccine targeting the omicron variant could be ready in around 100 days.
Perspective
Back to TopLawrence O. Gostin, JD
Biden's plan is underwhelming. It is little more than what we are already doing and has no likelihood of stemming the omicron variant. It is disappointing that it is more of the same. We just keep asking people to be vaccinated and they refuse. Asking again simply won't work.
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The White House. President Biden announces new actions to protect Americans against delta and omicron variants as we battle COVID-19 this winter. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/12/02/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-new-actions-to-protect-americans-against-the-delta-and-omicron-variants-as-we-battle-covid-19-this-winter/. Accessed Dec. 2, 2021.
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