Americans can go online and in less than a minute, order a set of four, free at-home test kits for COVID-19 through the U.S. Postal Service.
The federal initiative began Tuesday — a day earlier than the date set last week by President Joe Biden’s administration. The action comes a little over a month after White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki testily answered a reporter’s challenge over the shortage of tests: “Should we just send one to every American?” she asked.
Apparently the administration believes the answer is now “yes.” The four tests are rapid, antigen tests.
Additionally, the White House said it would start shipping next week more than 400 million free N95 masks. These masks do a better job than cloth masks alone in preventing spread of the virus but can be costly for many Americans.
These latest moves are an indicator that the contagious omicron variant is bringing a new set of challenges to a pandemic-weary nation. Symptoms from the variant mimic the common cold or influenza, and research shows it is less likely to lead to deaths or hospitalizations.
However, the sheer number of infections it causes is putting severe pressure not only on some hospital systems but is leading to staffing shortages across the board.
Cumberland County health officials report 5,000 cases in the county over the last seven days.
The pressure omicron is bringing to Cumberland County Schools is illustrative of its broader effect. Before the start of the semester, system officials discussed whether to begin remotely due to staffing concerns, but a survey among employees showed that enough could report to work to keep the schoolhouse doors open and the buses running.
That does not mean it has been easy. The COVID-19 dashboard for the system shows more than 1,000 cases were reported by faculty, students and staff the week of Jan. 7-13, with more than 1,300 people in quarantine. To compare, the week of Dec. 10-17, a month ago, there were 148 reported cases and 475 quarantines. In that time span, the case positivity rate has gone from 10.4% to 36%, tracking with reported figures elsewhere.
Across our community, many people have reported, anecdotally, they know more people who have contracted COVID-19 than ever before — indeed, nearly 9 in 10 Americans know someone who has been infected, according to a recent poll. North Carolina has meanwhile set new records in hospitalizations and infections, and the long car lines at community testing sites we thought were past have returned.
There is light at the end of this COVID-19 tunnel that sometimes seems ever-long. the omicron wave appears to have crested in New York City, some parts of California and other places, following a trend seen in other countries. Additionally, some epidemiologists believe the variant’s relatively less-deadly nature is a sign that COVID-19 may be entering a final more manageable endemic phase.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is Biden’s top medical advisor for the pandemic, believes that latter scenario is a distinct possibility, although he cautioned a new variant that is more evasive of existing vaccines could upset the apple cart.
Meanwhile, vaccines remain the best defense for individuals. They may not prevent an infection, but unvaccinated people are exponentially more likely to wind up in the hospital, or worse. In that sense at least, omicron is no different than previous variants.