6/3/2023 0 Comments Blumenthal rapid phpOn December 21, the Biden administration announced plans to purchase 500 million antigen, or “rapid” COVID-19 tests, and develop a system to distribute them nationwide at no cost. We strongly encourage you to take additional, immediate steps to eliminate existing barriers to COVID-19 rapid tests and ensure robust access to free over-the-counter rapid tests throughout the country for the duration of the pandemic,” the members continued. “s the Omicron variant spreads and we enter an ominous and unprecedented next phase of this pandemic, it is critical that we ensure these efforts meet the severity of the moment. There is no time to waste, and widespread and affordable access to rapid tests will be an integral part of our country’s public health response to the Omicron variant and through the duration of the pandemic,” the members wrote in the letter. “The rapid spread of the Omicron variant over the past weeks suggests that Americans are in a dramatically more vulnerable position than we had anticipated being just last month. Last week, Los Angeles County set a daily record as 43,712 new infections were recorded in the county, the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic. These measures would ensure the United States is mobilizing a more comprehensive public health response as the country enters a new phase of the pandemic, and that rapid testing – one of the most effective tools the federal government has at its disposal – is free, accessible, and convenient for all.Ĭalifornia is currently seeing a record high number of COVID-19 infections. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Congressmen Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), and more than 40 members of the House and Senate in sending a letter to President Joe Biden calling on his administration to build on its current efforts to expand access to COVID-19 testing by substantially increasing the supply of rapid tests and removing financial and logistical barriers to access.
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