FEMA launching free NY COVID test sites

Feds ramp up COVID response

The Biden administration is looking to ease the lines at COVID testing sites by distributing millions of home test kits and sending FEMA to open more sites, including some in New York.

NEW YORK - The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be setting up more COVID-19 testing sites around the country by the end of this week. Several of those sites will open in New York City before Christmas.

This action is part of President Joe Biden's federal response to the omicron surge. He said he also directed FEMA and the Pentagon to send medical personnel and ambulances to hospitals facing shortages. In remarks on Tuesday, Biden acknowledged the country may have "COVID fatigue" but he said this is not the time to relax our defenses against this pandemic.

"We all want this to be over but we are still in it," Biden said. "This is a critical movement."

Just days before Christmas, the highly contagious omicron mutation is now the dominant variant in new cases in the United States.

The president sought to reassure Americans who have been vaccinated while also issuing a dire warning to those who still refuse to get the shot.

"If you are vaccinated, you should feel comfortable celebrating Christmas and the holidays as you planned it," Biden said. "Omicron is serious, potentially deadly business for unvaccinated people."

FEMA will set up 10,000 testing and vaccination sites across the country. High-demand areas like New York City will see more testing locations open before Christmas.

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COVID home test kits

The FDA has issued emergency use authorizations for several types of COVID tests that you can take at home. Some deliver results in minutes. But these tests aren't foolproof.

The federal government has also ordered half a billion at-home rapid tests. Starting in January, anyone who wants a free COVID rapid test shipped to their home will be able to order one online.

Biden also authorized the Pentagon to send 1,000 military doctors, nurses, and medics to reinforce hospitals facing staffing shortages.

He insisted the country is in much better shape to deal with this pandemic than it was in March 2020.

"We should all be concerned about omicron but not panicked," Biden said.

Could COVID become endemic?

Dr. Rabia De La Tour of NYU Langone Health explains what COVID becoming endemic means and why the omicron variant could contribute to making that happen.

In the meantime, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he wants to keep the city open despite the huge spike in coronavirus cases. New York can't see schools and businesses close again like they did when COVID-19 first hit the city in 2020, he said.

"Adamantly I feel this: No more shutdowns. We’ve been through them," de Blasio said at a virtual news conference. "They were devastating. We can't go through it again."