President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the administration will double to 1 billion free at-home COVID-19 testing kits and the most protective N95 masks available to Americans, as he emphasized his Efforts to “add” resources to help the country weather a surge in coronavirus cases.

Biden also announced that starting next week, 1,000 military medical personnel will begin deploying across the country to help overwhelmed medical facilities alleviate staffing shortages caused by the highly transmissible variant of the omicron.

Many facilities are struggling as their workers are quarantined at home because of the virus, while COVID-19 cases surge nationwide. The new deployment will be on top of other federal medical staff already sent to states to help address critical shortages.

Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Biden acknowledged that with virus cases reaching new heights, “I know we’re all frustrated going into the new year.” But he insisted it was still an “epidemic of the unvaccinated”.

Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people have tested positive for the virus, but Biden pointed to medical data showing that people are much less likely to get seriously ill and die if they have been vaccinated: “What happened after that? very different.”

Biden’s comments come as his administration’s focus is shifting to mitigating disruptions caused by a surge in cases, which has also led to grocery shortages and flight cancellations, rather than preventing the spread of the virus.

Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock told Congress on Tuesday that the highly contagious virus will infect “most people” and that the focus should turn to ensuring that critical services can continue uninterrupted.

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“I think it’s hard to deal with what’s actually happening right now, which is: Most people will get coronavirus, okay?” she said. “What we need to do is make sure the hospital can still operate – in this case, there will be no disruption to transport and other essential services.”

Biden said he was directing his team to double the purchase of rapid COVID-19 tests that will be made available to Americans for free through an upcoming federal website, as he tries to respond to criticism of test shortages and long lines. The original order was for 500 million tests, and now the federal government will buy 1 billion home test kits.

Biden said the first test kits will be available next week, when the administration will launch a new website where Americans can apply for free tests. The rest of the tests will be delivered in the coming months.

Biden also announced that his administration plans for the first time to provide free “high-quality” N95 masks, which are most effective at preventing the spread of the virus. He said his government would release details next week.

The White House said this week that the federal government has a stockpile of more than 750 million N95 masks. Although research suggests these masks provide better protection, they are often more uncomfortable, and health officials have not changed their guidance recommending less protective cloth masks.

Dr. Rochelle Varensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday that the best masks “are the ones you’ll wear, the ones you can wear all day, and the ones you can tolerate in a public indoor setting. kind of.”

Biden encourages Americans to wear masks indoors to slow virus spread, even though he admits wearing them is a ‘neck pain’

In remarks Thursday, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who recently recovered from his own case of COVID-19, and Deanne Criswell, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Joined Biden. They heard about the work of more than 800 military personnel who have been helping civilian hospitals since Thanksgiving, as well as the work of more than 14,000 members of the National Guard who support vaccinations, testing and caring for the sick by the federal government.

The White House said it spoke with federal personnel already on the ground in Arizona, Michigan and New York to learn about their experiences.

Biden also announced that six additional military medical teams would be deployed to Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island.

The White House said the teams will support Henry Ford Hospital outside Detroit, Newark University Hospital, University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, Brooklyn Coney Island Hospital, Cleveland Clinic and Providence Rhode Island Hospital.

Bob Riney, president and chief operating officer of health care operations at Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System, said the DoD deployment will join another team sent by the Department of Health and Human Services. The various phases of the operation will be brought together “in a highly coordinated way,” he said.

“They don’t overlap. They complement each other,” he told reporters on Thursday.

The first medical staff arrived on Sunday and were trained before helping patients on Monday. Riney said they are providing inpatient care and surgery for up to 24 beds and support staff at Henry Ford Wyandotte.

The first phase will last until January 21st, and the second phase will continue for another 30 days. “We’re looking at 45 days of total support, which would have a more meaningful impact,” he said.

“We welcome and appreciate any support we receive,” Rainey said, telling reporters that the federal government chose to address the needs of Wyandotte Hospital after the health system presented the current situation and data to the Department of Health and Human Services.

A spokesman for the Cleveland Clinic said the hospital system is “receiving federal support from a team of approximately 20 military medical professionals.”

Spokesperson Andrea Pacetti said they could begin working on the Cleveland Clinic’s main campus next week. “We are grateful for the federal government’s support as our hospitals in Ohio continue to face a challenging surge of COVID-19,” Chief Executive Officer and President Dr. Tom Mihaljevic said in a statement Thursday. be able to care for more patients in our community.”