WASHINGTON – The Biden administration said it will spend $ 1.6 billion to expand COVID-19 testing in schools and neglected areas, increase production of test supplies, and expand genomic sequencing, a move that administration officials described as a “bridge” until Congress approves more funding.
The federal government will spend $ 650 million to expand testing for elementary and middle schools and in places like homeless shelters, said Carole Johnson, the administration’s COVID-19 supply coordinator.
The administration will also establish regional coordination centers to distribute testing supplies and coordinate with laboratories to collect samples and conduct tests, Johnson said in a conference call with reporters.
The White House will also allocate $ 815 million to increase manufacturing of test supplies and raw materials, such as filter pipette tips, nitrocellulose used in certain tests and specific injected molded plastics needed to house the test reagents, Johnson said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will spend an additional $ 200 million to identify and track new strains of the virus, increasing sequencing capacity threefold.
The White House is seeking $ 50 billion from Congress to expand testing and track virus mutations, and officials said the steps taken Wednesday were only intended to close the gap until that request is approved.
“These resources are important steps in the short term, far from what is necessary to meet the need for testing,” Johnson said. “They are simply a bridge until Congress passes the American Rescue Plan.”
According to doctors, there are COVID-19 patients who have experienced hair loss, tooth loss, and even facial paralysis. To see more from Telemundo, visit https://www.nbc.com/networks/telemundo
Officials have said they are increasing the number of vaccine doses shipped to states by more than 50% since they took over. The administration plans to ship 13.5 million doses directly to the states this week and 2 million to pharmacy chainsWhite House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.
Currently, the United States has an average of 1.7 million injections per day, up from 1.1 million four weeks ago, according to CDC data.
Until February 16, CDC reported 39 million first doses were administered and more than 15 million people were fully vaccinated, according to data compiled by NBC News.
“We have much more work to do on all fronts, but we are taking the necessary steps to defeat the virus,” said COVID-19 Coordinator Jeffrey Zients. “There is a way out of this pandemic, but how quickly we get out is up to all of us.
This story was first written by NBC News.
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