President Biden says US may soon lift its travel ban on several southern African nations.
US President Joe Biden has warned millions of unvaccinated Americans they are putting themselves and loved ones at risk amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus sweeping the nation.
"If you're not fully vaccinated, you have good reason to be concerned," Biden said in a White House speech on Tuesday where he unveiled new plans to buy 500 million rapid Covid-19 tests to be distributed for free to Americans who request them in January.
Biden noted vaccinated people who get Covid-19 may get ill but they are protected from severe illness and death and they should feel comfortable celebrating Christmas and the holidays as they had planned.
His pleas are not political, he emphasised. He noted that former president Donald Trump has gotten his booster shot, and he said it's Americans' "patriotic duty" to get vaccinated.
Biden also chastised social media and people on cable TV who have made misleading statements to discourage people from getting vaccinated.
'We are prepared'
Biden also noted everybody should be concerned about the Omicron but that the country is "prepared" for the situation.
"This is not March of 2020," he continued.
"Two hundred million people are fully vaccinated. We're prepared, we know more. We just have to stay focused."
As the Omicron was rapidly spreading across the world, the US, along with other nations put restrictions on several African countries.
President Biden said that the US may soon lift its travel ban on several southern African nations.
"I'm considering reversing it, and I'm going to talk with my team in the next couple of days," he said in response to a question from a reporter, after saying there was some evidence of cases dropping off in South Africa.
Omicron now dominant Covid-19 strain
The fast-spreading Omicron variant is now the main coronavirus strain in the United States, accounting for 73.2 percent of new cases over the past week.
Across the United States, hospitals are getting busy, testing centers are seeing long lines, and sports and entertainment events are being cancelled.
Getting the virus under control has proven difficult in a country where vaccination and mask-wearing have become divisive political issues, and federal mandates end up in protracted legal battles.
READ MORE: Biden warns 'winter of death' awaits unvaccinated as Omicron spreads
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