Biden to pledge 500M free COVID-19 tests to counter omicron | AP News WASHINGTON (AP) — With the omicron variant on the march, President Joe Biden plans to announce 500 million free rapid tests for Americans, increased support for hospitals under strain and a redoubling of vaccination and boosting efforts. AP NEWS

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U.S. surgeon general "worried" about unvaccinated people amid Omicron spread and COVID testing rush

(CBS) As COVID-19 infections continue to rise ahead of the holidays, experts are warning that there are tough days ahead in the fight against the virus — especially for those who are still unvaccinated.

The average number of new daily cases has nearly doubled since the beginning of November, with the U.S. now averaging 156,000 cases a day. On top of that, the fast-spreading Omicron variant has now been detected in all but five states.

A growing body of preliminary research suggests the Covid vaccines used in most of the world offer almost no defense against becoming infected by the highly contagious Omicron variant.

All vaccines still seem to provide a significant degree of protection against serious illness from Omicron, which is the most crucial goal. But only the Pfizer and Moderna shots, when reinforced by a booster, appear to have initial success at stopping infections, and these vaccines are unavailable in most of the world.

Moderna's Omicron-specific booster could start clinical trials early next year Biotechnology company Moderna continues to work on developing Covid-19 boosters that specifically target certain variants, including Delta and Omicron, Dr. Stephen Hoge, president of the company, said Monday. By Jack Guy and Aditi Sangal CNN

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