US govt to increase COVID-19 tests for schools by 10 million per month

The Biden administration announced on Wednesday a new set of measures to keep schools open, including increasing access to COVID-19 tests, as the highly contagious Omicron variant spreads rapidly through the US.

The US reported 1.35 million new coronavirus infections on Monday, according to a tally, the highest daily total for any country in the world. Omicron was estimated to account for 98.3% of total new coronavirus cases circulating in the country as of Jan. 8, the CDC said Tuesday.

The White House and top health officials on Tuesday defended the government's response to the surge in cases and hospitalizations.

Five million free rapid tests will be distributed each month to help kindergarten to 12th grade (K-12) schools remain open and the administration will make lab capacity available to support five million monthly PCR tests for schools.

The steps come as some school districts move to virtual classes again to escape the Omicron wave.

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention will also work with states that request additional tests for school districts, and the first deliveries will be made later this month, the administration said.

Other measures include federal agencies ensuring federal testing sites can support K-12 operations, connecting local school districts with testing providers and offering full reimbursement to schools that set up diagnostic and testing programs.

The administration said its efforts so far have resulted in 96% of schools being able to open in-person classes this month, up from 46% of schools in January 2021.

The White House has separately pledged to make 500 million rapid COVID-19 tests available to all Americans in January, and said people should be able to order such tests through a federal website later this month. Reuters