Here’s What to Know About President Biden’s Winter COVID-19 Plan

On Thursday, President Joe Biden announced his plan to fight COVID-19 this winter. It’s an important move, with 86,413 new coronavirus cases reported nationwide in the week leading up to December 1. “My plan I’m announcing today pulls no punches in the fight against COVID-19,” President Biden said in a speech announcing the strategy. “A plan, I think, that should unite us.”

The plan has several focuses, like increasing availability and launching education campaigns around vaccinations and boosters. Here are some of the most notable ones.

First, the Biden administration announced that people with private health insurance who purchase at-home rapid tests will soon be able to request reimbursement from their health insurance. Specific guidance on how exactly to go about this will be issued by January 15th, according to the fact sheet. People without insurance will continue to be able to get free testing at federally-supported test sites, and health centers and rural clinics will be distributing at-home tests to their communities.

At-home rapid tests currently cost between $24 and $36 for a two-pack. As SELF previously explained, at-home rapid antigen tests are most reliable when someone has noticeable symptoms. Rapid antigen tests are typically less sensitive than PCR tests, which can detect very small amounts of the virus (although there is still some room for error). But at-home rapid tests have the advantage of speed—results can come back as quickly as 15 minutes, where PCR tests require a laboratory and can take a few hours to several days to get a result.

The next point of President Biden’s winter COVID-19 plan that’s especially worth noting: All inbound travelers flying into the United States will be required to have a negative COVID-19 test within one day of their flight, regardless of vaccination status or citizenship. People who recently recovered from COVID-19 (and may still be testing positive even if they’re no longer symptomatic or contagious) will need to provide other documentation, like a positive test that is no more than 90 days before your flight’s departure and a letter from your doctor saying that you’ve been cleared for travel. He also extended mask requirements for transit, including planes, trains, and buses, through March 18. The minimum fine for not wearing your mask in these areas is $500.

Unsurprisingly, vaccinations continue to be super important for curbing the impact of the virus, especially this winter. The Biden administration plans to launch booster education and outreach campaigns, with a focus on the elderly. While 86.6% of people over the age of 65 are fully vaccinated, just 47.7% have gotten their booster shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There’s also a focus on getting people who are unvaccinated—particularly 5- to 11-year-olds—their shots.

The President also announced “strike” teams to help overwhelmed states handle cases during COVID-19 surges and committed to equitably distributing anti-COVID pills if and when they get FDA authorization.

All of these things will be necessary as we face a new variant and increasing coronavirus rates. “Experts say that COVID-19 cases will continue to rise in the weeks ahead and this winter,” President Biden said. “So we need to be ready.”

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