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Biden: Vaccinated, boosted Americans should 'feel comfortable' celebrating the holidays as planned
President Biden on Tuesday laid out his administration's plan of attack regarding a surge in COVID-19 cases attributable to the highly-transmissible Omicron variant, first discovered in South Africa in November.
The president's newly-detailed playbook includes expanding COVID testing sites nationwide, distributing 500 million free at-home test kits, and deploying "more federal health resources to aid strained hospitals" to help America fight this fresh wave of infections, unfortunately timed right around the winter holidays, reports The Washington Post.
And as for whether Americans should feel comfortable celebrating as planned, Biden advised linking such decisions to vaccination status. "I know some Americans are wondering if you can safely celebrate the holidays with your family and friends," he said Tuesday. "The answer is yes, you can — if you and those you celebrate with are vaccinated. Particularly if you've gotten your booster shot."
The president also used his latest COVID-era speech to issue a fresh, stark plea to America's unvaccinated.
"If you're not fully vaccinated," Biden said, "you have good reason to be concerned."