President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that Americans who test positive for Covid-19 will be able to get free antiviral pills at local pharmacies and community health centers.
The Test to Treat initiative will allow people to get tested at a pharmacy, and if they are positive, they will receive antiviral pills at no cost.
A White House official said the administration will launch hundreds of sites nationwide this month. Biden said Americans can order more free Covid tests at the government website. Households can get four free Covid tests. Families are limited to two orders based on their address.
Pfizer is working to deliver 1 million courses of Paxlovid this month, according to the president. Paxlovid prevented hospitalization for people who were at risk of developing severe illness during clinical trials.
The US has reached a new moment in the Pandemic, with cases of severe illness down to their lowest level since July, according to Biden. In December and January, the omicron Covid variant upended the country, causing an unprecedented wave of infections that pushed many hospitals to the brink.
According to the president, most Americans are now safe to go about their lives without a mask. More of the country will meet CDC guidelines to go mask free in the next two weeks, according to Biden.
Most Americans can return to work, stay in the classroom, and move forward safely, with 75% of adults fully vaccined, the president said.
Biden said the U.S. is prepared for new Covid variants and can deploy new vaccines within 100 days.
I can't promise a new variant won't come, but I can promise you we'll be ready if it does.
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