Biden to pledge 500M free COVID-19 tests to counter omicron

By JOSH BOAK and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden plans to deliver 500 million free COVID-19 tests to Americans, increase support for hospitals and expand the availability of vaccines to confront a winter surge of coronavirus cases driven by the fast-spreading omicron variant. Biden will stress in a Tuesday speech the importance of getting vaccinated to protect from a wave of infections as Christmas approaches. The world is facing a second straight holiday season with COVID-19. Scientists know vaccination should offer strong protections against severe illness and death. Biden’s top medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, says the Democratic president will issue “a stark warning of what the winter will look like” for unvaccinated Americans.