By Shannon Pettypiece -
NBC News
President Joe Biden will take stock of the federal response to the surge in COVID-19 cases Tuesday in a speech urging the public to get vaccinated and wear masks, while reassuring those who are fully immunized and have donned the booster dose because they are hardly likely to develop severe symptoms if they catch coronavirus.
Biden will speak after the White House team managing the pandemic response briefs him on the latest data on the omicron variant and on the resources and staff that are being sent to states where hospital beds are running low. supplies and sanitation workers, according to an official.
A reporter puts up posters in the White House press room to maintain a safe distance on January 4, 2022. Andrew Harnik / AP
The president will also release an update on the efforts his team is making to expand access to COVID-19 treatments, which have been in short supply.
"In a few words, he will address the American people to discuss these updates, as well as the importance of continuing to use the tools we know they protect: vaccines, boosters and the use of a mask," explained the source.
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The United States reached one million new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, according to data compiled by our sister network NBC News, highlighting the threat posed by omicron in the third year of the pandemic.
This variant already represents 95% of new infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Biden's statements about the pandemic, the first since December 28, come as the wave of infections has forced companies and schools to close, as cases have tripled in the last month.
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Although hospitalizations have not grown at the same rate, this rise has been enough that medical centers across the country have to make efforts to care for all patients, with a shortage of tests, treatments and personnel.
Deaths, on the other hand, have remained relatively unchanged, around 1,100, although they have been an indicator to take into account later in previous rallies.
Rapid home antigen tests have also been in short supply amid strong demand and production is not expected to increase significantly until February or March, according to manufacturers' forecasts.
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Biden promised to send 500 million free home tests home, but that initiative could take months to complete.
In addition, patients in the worst affected areas have had to wait days for laboratory test results, at the limit of their capacity.
Supplies to treat COVID-19 have also been limited.
Some hospitals have stopped offering monoclonal antibody therapies or have rationed them only for patients at higher risk.
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The federal government has deployed federal personnel to help relieve overburdened hospitals.
National incomes have reached levels seen during the summer wave of infections, but are still below last winter, when a small portion of the population was fully vaccinated.
Currently, 62% of citizens have received at least two doses.
Public health officials say vaccinated and boosted people are significantly less likely to be hospitalized and die from the virus.
The vast majority of those admitted and deceased were not vaccinated.
