The Omicron variant is still spreading in the US and the New York health authorities are noticing an increase in the number of children being treated for Covid-19, while the White House promised earlier today that it would quickly solve the problem with the lack of diagnostic tests in the country.
The New York Department of Health “closely monitors the growing trend of Covid-19-related pediatric care,” the statement said. “The biggest increase is in New York City,” where imports quadrupled in the week beginning December 19, compared with the week beginning December 5, he added. Half of the admissions concern children under 5 years of age, ie they have not yet reached the age to be vaccinated.
The number of Covid-19 cases in the United States continues to rise, with about 190,000 new infections daily, averaging over the past seven days, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The Omicron variant and the holiday season, which are synonymous with travel and family gatherings, have also boosted demand for tests in the United States. In some areas, however, they are hard to find. Dr Anthony Fauci, the White House’s pandemic adviser, assured that the problem would be resolved quickly. “One of the current problems is that (the tests) will not be fully available to everyone before January. “But we are facing the problem, which will be solved soon,” he told ABC television.
President Joe Biden announced last week that $ 500 million worth of tests would be purchased from federal authorities and distributed free of charge. But those tests will not be delivered before January, and this has drawn strong criticism of the White House’s management of the pandemic and the fact that for weeks its strategy has focused mainly on vaccination.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki was questioned on December 6, a few days after the first case of Omicron was found in the United States, about the difficulty many faced in getting tested. He then replied ironically: “Should we send a free test to all Americans?”
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