Israel set to offer fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine to people over 60 Israel announced on Tuesday that it will offer a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to people older than 60, amid concern about the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Reuters Reuters

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Biden steps up the U.S. pandemic response with help for hospitals and expanded testing

Facing an alarming surge in coronavirus cases that threatens to overwhelm the nation’s hospital system, President Biden stepped up his administration’s pandemic response again on Tuesday and tried to reassure an anxious nation, telling Americans that “we should all be concerned about Omicron, but not panicked.”

In a White House address, Mr. Biden directed his defense secretary to get 1,000 military medical professionals ready to help where needed; he announced new vaccination and testing sites; and he said his administration was buying 500 million rapid Covid-19 tests to distribute free to the public beginning in January through a new website.

‘It is embarrassing’: CDC struggles to track Covid cases as Omicron looms The U.S. was behind other countries in charting the spread of disease in the pandemic’s disastrous early months. It’s still behind as new variants threaten to disrupt the winter. Erin Banco POLITICO

As the world experiences new, more transmissible Covid-19 variants, scientists and health officials in the U.S. are still struggling to gather accurate and timely domestic data to help inform policy decisions to safeguard Americans.