Watch Live: Biden unveils Omicron plan, including at-home COVID tests and more troops for hospitals
CBSN
Washington — As coronavirus cases surge in the days before Christmas, President Biden is set to unveil new plans to increase support for hospitals, improve access to COVID-19 testing through hundreds of millions of rapid at-home tests and expand the availability of vaccines that can reduce the risks from the Omicron variant. What: President Biden addresses the nation on the fight against the Omicron variant Date: Tuesday, December 21, 2021 Time: 2:30 p.m. ET Location: The White House Online stream: Live on CBSN in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device.
Mr. Biden is set to address the nation Tuesday afternoon from the White House to announce the new steps. Previewing the speech, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president would outline how the country is prepared, and preparing more to counter the surge in Omicron infections, and that he would address the 40 million eligible adults in America who still are not vaccinated.
The world is confronting the prospect of a second straight holiday season with COVID-19 as families and friends begin to gather while the variant quickly spreads. Scientists don't yet know whether Omicron causes more serious disease, but they do know that vaccination should offer strong protections against severe illness and death.
A cybercriminal group claims it stole personal data belonging to more than 500 million Ticketmaster customers. Although the event ticketing service, owned by Live Nation Entertainment, hasn't confirmed the attack, security experts warn that it could put users of the platform at risk for a range of scams.
Two climbers were waiting to be rescued near the peak of Denali, a colossal mountain that towers over miles of vast tundra in southern Alaska, officials said Wednesday. Originally part of a three-person team that became stranded near the top of the mountain, the climbers put out a distress call more than 30 hours earlier suggesting they were hypothermic and unable to descend on their own, according to the National Park Service.
There's no making up for what Olympic hurdler Lashinda Demus lost on the day she finished .07 seconds behind a Russian opponent who, everyone later learned, was doping. What the American 400-meter hurdles champion will finally receive is a great day under the Eiffel Tower where she'll be presented with the gold medal she was denied 12 years ago at the London Olympics.