Half a billion at-home coronavirus tests will be sent free to the American public in the fight againstOmicron, Joe Biden announced on Tuesday, while pushing back against resistance to vaccine mandates by saying they are intended “not to control your life, but to save your life”.
[…]
He announced that his administration is buying 500m at-home, rapid tests this winter to be distributed for free to Americans who want them, with initial delivery starting next month. A website will enable people to order them to be delivered to their home for free.
The decision follows growing pressure on the White House to make free tests more widely available. At a recent briefing, the press secretary, Jen Psaki, asked sarcastically: “Should we just send one to every American?” Critics pointed out that the UK does just that and wondered why the US could not follow suit.
Biden said: “The federal government will purchase one half billion … additional at-home rapid tests with delivery starting in January. We’ll be getting these tests to Americans for free and we’ll have websites where you can get them delivered to your home.”
A sixfold increase in Omicron’s share of Covid-19 infections in just one week has led to long queues at testing sites in large cities. Biden announced new federal testing sites around the country. The first will be created this week in New York, which just reported a record number of new daily cases.
[continues]
also from that link:
He acknowledged that breakthrough cases are inevitable. “We’ll see some vaccinated people get Covid, potentially large numbers,” he said, but noted that they are at very low risk of severe illness.
He warned: “Omicron is a serious, potentially deadly business for unvaccinated people. If you’re not fully vaccinated, you have good reason to be concerned. You’re at a high risk of getting sick. And if you get sick, you’re likely to spread it to others, including friends and family, and the unvaccinated have a significantly higher risk of ending up in hospital or even dying.”
“The unvaccinated have an obligation to themselves, their family and their country to get the shot, the president added. “I promise you, it saves lives, and I honest to God believe it’s your patriotic duty.”
[…]
In his address from the state dining room, Biden condemned rightwing media personalities who spread anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.
“The unvaccinated are responsible for their own choices. But those choices have been fuelled by dangerous misinformation on cable TV and social media. You know, these companies and personalities are making money by peddling lies and allowing misinformation that can kill their own customers and their own supporters. It’s wrong, it’s immoral. I call on the purveyors of these lies and misinformation to stop it. Stop it now.”
Up until last week, many Americans were worried about their holiday presents arriving on time. Now, rapid tests are at the top of their list.
[…]
… Coronavirus cases are once againrising around the United Statesas the Delta variant has given way to Omicron, a highly contagious form of the virus. The surge has fueled demand for Covid tests ahead of the Christmas holiday as families seek ways to gather safely.
Some have braved hourslong lines at local testing sites to receive polymerase chain reaction tests, whose results, obtained in a laboratory, are considered the gold standard for detecting the virus. Many others have rushed to buy rapid at-home tests, depleting the stock at pharmacies and online stores. The frenzy for at-home testing has turned the kits into a commodity and even made them covetable holiday presents.
[…]
Pharmacies have seen a spike in demand for at-home tests, most of which cost between $7 and $24. Some are starting to place limits on how many each customer can buy.
“Following Thanksgiving and leading into the upcoming holiday week, we’ve seen an unprecedented increase in demand for rapid OTC Covid-19 tests across the country,” a spokesperson for Walgreens said. “Some stores may experience a temporary shortage in rapid OTC testing solutions.” The spokesperson added that a four-item purchase limit on test kits went into effect on Tuesday.
A representative for Amazon said: “At this time, we are experiencing inventory shortages on some Covid-19 tests due to increased demand” and that the company is working to “secure additional Covid-19 test inventory” from selling partners.
Similarly, a Rite Aid spokesperson said in a statement that “in many areas, demand is simply outpacing supply from manufacturers.”
A Target spokesperson said the company was working with vendors to meet the “strong” demand this holiday season. Representatives from Walmart and CVS said that online inventory for testing kits was limited. A spokesperson for Walmart said that the “inventory levels” in stores were substantial.
Justin Vavrick, the creator of NowInStock.net, a website that has been tracking the availability of at-home Covid tests since the spring, corroborated the companies’ statements.
“I think a lot of the inventory has been shifted to the stores,” Mr. Vavrick said in a phone interview. “In-store pickup is where you’re probably going to have the best success.”
[continues]
in the meantime, the good doc lapook gave this helpful advice on last sunday’s “CBS sunday morning”
With the increase in coronavirus caseloads due to the spreading Delta and Omicron variants, CBS News’ chief medical correspondent discusses the precautions to be taken at end-of-year get-togethers, to better ensure a safe holiday season.
Tests should always have been free and easily available. Sending folks out to stand in line when they feel sick was never a good idea. Also, I saw huge test sites in NYC and being there looked like a great way to get infected if you weren’t already.
Here’s hoping a less virulent variation chokes out the the others and turns into nothing more than a nuisance by next year.
Lyrics by Greg Trafidlo & Carole O’Toole Performed by Don Caron Executive Producers Don Caron and Jerry Pender
but the christmas song parody they also put out this week that i like better is this one
Executive Producers Don Caron and Jerry Pender For those who don’t know, RICO is the “Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.” It is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. It’s designed to enable trapping of weasels, of the human variety.
Well, I’m testing our testing in East Bumfuck. Woke up feeling like a cold may be coming on, and just in case since I need about an hour in a dentist chair to get a crown replaced and LP is home figured I’d do the responsible thing instead of Pollyannaing and exposing others. 5 minute wait in the car, 15 minute results (negative) and I’m not sure about costs, but between Medicare and my supplement I should be ok.
i’ve got to go to 3 xmas parties in 3 days, so i’ll probably get it. i’m tripled-vaxxed, and i’ll hold my breath around close-talkers (very subtly ofc)
we wore our hats backwards so they’d think we were coming but all the while we were on the dodge. Un-vaxxed? Go ‘way ya bunch of unruly sidewinders, and get the hell off my damn lawn.
grandbaby borned 1 hour before the solstice. cool.
pogo, you sure they did a PCR test? thought PCRs take at least 30 minutes for results. if you still have symptoms might be wise to retest tomorrow anyway. can’t imagine dentist/hygienist would want to see you even with a common cold.
just got a reprieve myself from a dental torture. the periodontist came down with something mild they say and doesn’t want to come into ofc to expose clients or staff. ‘course it could be he still had christmas shopping to do and was playing hooky.
“You’re not going to the party?” they asked.
“I AM the party,” I replied.
Short Story of the Day: “Alibi Ike” by Ring Lardner. Doubly a pro peaux if yar partial to the baseball.
Congrats, Sturge 🥳
got a name yet, sturge? since s/he arrived almost on winter’s witching hour there are all sorts of names to consider. ex: Yule or Yulia as the case may be
right……you guessed it…..Yulva
I, of course, argued against it, because it rhymes with Mulva.
“Ylva” is a Scandinavian name meaning “wolf” according to online info, but can’t find “yulva.”
any idea what it means and the derivation?
Mulva? also rhymes with something else, sturge.
guess that’s a bit better than naming her Vagina or Clitoria
It’s off of a Seinfeld bit……
Jerry can’t remember the girl’s name, only that it rhymed with “a female body part” so most of the show they were trying out names….and he kept getting into situations where it was awkward he didn’t know her name.
Sturg… congrats on the new grand baby!
There’s so much shit going around… I know lots of people who are getting tested and it’s all coming up negative.
ya know… there’s gotta be something between… it’s a total hoax… and it’s a total obsession. Rick and I are both triple vaxxed… we are taking precautions… but living our lives too.
Something to think about while watching the paint dry.
The last 8 doors of 2021…..the end of a long year, down to the wire.
Bill Gates (@BillGates) Tweeted:
Just when it seemed like life would return to normal, we could be entering the worst part of the pandemic. Omicron will hit home for all of us. Close friends of mine now have it, and I’ve canceled most of my holiday plans. https://twitter.com/BillGates/status/1473333996868149248?s=20
Sturg – Congrats!
The brother is sick. First test negative. No vax. He’s being pissy about it because nobody talks about colds/flu/bronchitis, so if you get sick everyone thinks it’s covid. Then he whined about how sick he’s felt this week.
We had lunch catered in (individual boxes/no serving line) and I sat at my desk and ate. I never eat in the lunchroom, but today seemed like an extra good time to avoid it. Merry Christmas
patd, no, it was a rapid antigen test, not a PCR. My cold symptoms are so mild I’m not concerned, not even concerned that I actually have a cold – I just didn’t want to expose the dentist and hygienist. I won’t go to the dentist if I have cold symptoms – I think that’s irresponsible and utterly inconsiderate.
“These expanded federal support measures will ensure that provinces and public health authorities across the country can continue to make the right, difficult decisions they need to make to save lives, confident in the knowledge that the federal government will be there to financially support workers and businesses,” Freeland said.
Canada is stepping up the financial help already, even though it’s not needed yet.
What is the spirit of “Christmas”? It is the celebration of the birth of the “Christ” child!
“More than 800 faith leaders are urging President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats to pass voting rights legislation in 2022, writing in a letter released Thursday that the issue needs to be the administration’s “number-one priority” after measures stalled in the Senate.“
Democrats are not the problem. They need to go after Republicans (who love to hide behind the Bible).
the guardian:
also from that link:
All Anyone Wants for Christmas Is a Covid Test – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
in the meantime, the good doc lapook gave this helpful advice on last sunday’s “CBS sunday morning”
With the increase in coronavirus caseloads due to the spreading Delta and Omicron variants, CBS News’ chief medical correspondent discusses the precautions to be taken at end-of-year get-togethers, to better ensure a safe holiday season.
Tests should always have been free and easily available. Sending folks out to stand in line when they feel sick was never a good idea. Also, I saw huge test sites in NYC and being there looked like a great way to get infected if you weren’t already.
Here’s hoping a less virulent variation chokes out the the others and turns into nothing more than a nuisance by next year.
Lyrics by Greg Trafidlo & Carole O’Toole Performed by Don Caron Executive Producers Don Caron and Jerry Pender
but the christmas song parody they also put out this week that i like better is this one
Executive Producers Don Caron and Jerry Pender For those who don’t know, RICO is the “Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.” It is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. It’s designed to enable trapping of weasels, of the human variety.
Well, I’m testing our testing in East Bumfuck. Woke up feeling like a cold may be coming on, and just in case since I need about an hour in a dentist chair to get a crown replaced and LP is home figured I’d do the responsible thing instead of Pollyannaing and exposing others. 5 minute wait in the car, 15 minute results (negative) and I’m not sure about costs, but between Medicare and my supplement I should be ok.
i’ve got to go to 3 xmas parties in 3 days, so i’ll probably get it. i’m tripled-vaxxed, and i’ll hold my breath around close-talkers (very subtly ofc)
we wore our hats backwards so they’d think we were coming but all the while we were on the dodge. Un-vaxxed? Go ‘way ya bunch of unruly sidewinders, and get the hell off my damn lawn.
grandbaby borned 1 hour before the solstice. cool.
pogo, you sure they did a PCR test? thought PCRs take at least 30 minutes for results. if you still have symptoms might be wise to retest tomorrow anyway. can’t imagine dentist/hygienist would want to see you even with a common cold.
just got a reprieve myself from a dental torture. the periodontist came down with something mild they say and doesn’t want to come into ofc to expose clients or staff. ‘course it could be he still had christmas shopping to do and was playing hooky.
“You’re not going to the party?” they asked.
“I AM the party,” I replied.
Short Story of the Day: “Alibi Ike” by Ring Lardner. Doubly a pro peaux if yar partial to the baseball.
Congrats, Sturge 🥳
got a name yet, sturge? since s/he arrived almost on winter’s witching hour there are all sorts of names to consider. ex: Yule or Yulia as the case may be
right……you guessed it…..Yulva
I, of course, argued against it, because it rhymes with Mulva.
“Ylva” is a Scandinavian name meaning “wolf” according to online info, but can’t find “yulva.”
any idea what it means and the derivation?
Mulva? also rhymes with something else, sturge.
guess that’s a bit better than naming her Vagina or Clitoria
It’s off of a Seinfeld bit……
Jerry can’t remember the girl’s name, only that it rhymed with “a female body part” so most of the show they were trying out names….and he kept getting into situations where it was awkward he didn’t know her name.
Sturg… congrats on the new grand baby!
There’s so much shit going around… I know lots of people who are getting tested and it’s all coming up negative.
ya know… there’s gotta be something between… it’s a total hoax… and it’s a total obsession. Rick and I are both triple vaxxed… we are taking precautions… but living our lives too.
Something to think about while watching the paint dry.
The last 8 doors of 2021…..the end of a long year, down to the wire.
Bill Gates (@BillGates) Tweeted:
Just when it seemed like life would return to normal, we could be entering the worst part of the pandemic. Omicron will hit home for all of us. Close friends of mine now have it, and I’ve canceled most of my holiday plans. https://twitter.com/BillGates/status/1473333996868149248?s=20
Sturg – Congrats!
The brother is sick. First test negative. No vax. He’s being pissy about it because nobody talks about colds/flu/bronchitis, so if you get sick everyone thinks it’s covid. Then he whined about how sick he’s felt this week.
We had lunch catered in (individual boxes/no serving line) and I sat at my desk and ate. I never eat in the lunchroom, but today seemed like an extra good time to avoid it. Merry Christmas
patd, no, it was a rapid antigen test, not a PCR. My cold symptoms are so mild I’m not concerned, not even concerned that I actually have a cold – I just didn’t want to expose the dentist and hygienist. I won’t go to the dentist if I have cold symptoms – I think that’s irresponsible and utterly inconsiderate.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/feds-to-expand-worker-business-aid-eligibility-amid-new-covid-19-restrictions-1.5716427
“These expanded federal support measures will ensure that provinces and public health authorities across the country can continue to make the right, difficult decisions they need to make to save lives, confident in the knowledge that the federal government will be there to financially support workers and businesses,” Freeland said.
Canada is stepping up the financial help already, even though it’s not needed yet.
What is the spirit of “Christmas”? It is the celebration of the birth of the “Christ” child!
let’s do a 180
logically follows
i need to figure that out on guitar asap
i actually needed to hear this tonight
i he-yai yai, he-yai yai
…to me, actually
NEW THREAD
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/23/politics/faith-leaders-voting-rights-letter-biden/index.html
“More than 800 faith leaders are urging President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats to pass voting rights legislation in 2022, writing in a letter released Thursday that the issue needs to be the administration’s “number-one priority” after measures stalled in the Senate.“
Democrats are not the problem. They need to go after Republicans (who love to hide behind the Bible).