Biden pledges 500 million free rapid tests to fight Omicron. Experts say it's not enough. Omicron — and the enormous numbers of breakthrough infections it will generate — is about to make frequent rapid testing for contagiousness more crucial than ever before. YahooNews

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Biden steps up the U.S. pandemic response with help for hospitals and expanded testing

Facing an alarming surge in coronavirus cases that threatens to overwhelm the nation’s hospital system, President Biden stepped up his administration’s pandemic response again on Tuesday and tried to reassure an anxious nation, telling Americans that “we should all be concerned about Omicron, but not panicked.”

In a White House address, Mr. Biden directed his defense secretary to get 1,000 military medical professionals ready to help where needed; he announced new vaccination and testing sites; and he said his administration was buying 500 million rapid Covid-19 tests to distribute free to the public beginning in January through a new website.

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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COVID-19 live updates: Biden tests negative after close contact with positive staff member As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 807,000 Americans. ABC News ABC News

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The president received an antigen test Sunday and a PCR test Monday, and both came back negative, Psaki said in a statement. He will receive another test Wednesday, she said.

Maryland resumes reporting case data after cyberattack | AP News BALTIMORE (AP) — For the first time since Maryland officials took state health department servers offline amid an apparent cyberattack earlier this month, coronavirus case numbers and positivity rate data were available again on the department’s website Monday, showing a jump in cases and the testing positivity rate. AP NEWS

ALSO SEE: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan Tests Positive for COVID-19

Coronavirus digest: Europe plans stricter curbs The UK, Germany and other European nations are planning to take action to prevent a new wave of infections. Elsewhere, Thailand may reimpose tougher restrictions for foreign travelers. DW has the latest. Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com) DW.COM

European countries such as the UK and Germany are bracing themselves due to the omicron variant of the coronavirus, which appears to be more transmissible than previous variants.

The Lancet

Minimizing COVID-19 disruption: ensuring the supply of essential health products for health emergencies and routine health services

Leveraging economies of scale and scope through multi-country pooled procurement enables countries to increase access to quality affordable essential medicines and supplies that meet priority health objectives as well as effectively respond to health emergencies.

Strategic partnerships and tools can minimize supply chain disruptions and streamline procurement and deployment in health emergencies, thus mitigating stockouts and ensuring cost efficiencies across various therapeutic areas, including for public health programs at a time when countries may struggle to meet complex needs.

As a means to better respond to health emergencies while maintaining priority public health programs, countries should optimize usage of pooled procurement mechanisms facilitated by multilateral technical cooperation and other regional mechanisms, such as the Pan American Health Organization's Strategic Fund.

‘It is embarrassing’: CDC struggles to track Covid cases as Omicron looms The U.S. was behind other countries in charting the spread of disease in the pandemic’s disastrous early months. It’s still behind as new variants threaten to disrupt the winter. Erin Banco POLITICO

As the world experiences new, more transmissible Covid-19 variants, scientists and health officials in the U.S. are still struggling to gather accurate and timely domestic data to help inform policy decisions to safeguard Americans.