Americans are facing long lines to get tested for the coronavirus amid a new surge driven by the Omicron variant.
During a speech this week, US President Joe Biden aimed to reassure vaccinated Americans that they can still proceed with their holiday plans.
“I know some Americans are wondering if you can safely celebrate the holidays with your family and friends. The answer is yes you can if you and those you celebrate with are vaccinated, particularly if you’ve gotten your booster shot,” Biden said Tuesday.
The Omicron variant has now been detected in every US state and health officials warn more people are expected to get infected — even those who are fully vaccinated — as they gather for the holidays.
Notable Events and Images This Week
Ashley Dorelus demonstrates outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis on December 21 during jury deliberations in the trial of former police officer Kim Potter. Potter was found guilty of manslaughter Thursday for fatally shooting Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in April. She testified the shooting was an accident and that she mistakenly grabbed her gun instead of her Taser.A man talks on the phone while sitting between cars amid floodwaters in Shah Alam, Malaysia, on December 21. Flooding in the country led to more than a dozen deaths and the displacement of over 60,000 people. Arif Kartono/AFP/Getty ImagesChristians hold candles during a Christmas celebration in Lahore, Pakistan, on December 22.Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady fumbles after getting hit by New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan during the Saints’ 9-0 victory December 19 in Tampa.In this photo provided by Greenpeace, clothes are left to dry on a typhoon-damaged tree in Surigao City, Philippines, on December 20. The death toll from Super Typhoon Rai surpassed 300 on Tuesday as humanitarian agencies warned the true scale of destruction remains unknown. Jilson Tiu/Greenpeace/APFamily members grieve near the casket of corrections officer Robert Daniel at the Brown Funeral Home in Mayfield, Kentucky, on December 18. Daniel was killed during the tornado outbreak on December 10 while directing workers and inmates under his care to safety at a candle factory in Mayfield. Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesSwimmers warm up on day four of the FINA World Swimming Championships in Abu Dhabi on December 19.Theranos founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes, center, walks with her partner Billy Evans and mother Noel Holmes as they leave court December 17 in San Jose, California. Jury deliberations have begun in Elizabeth Holmes’ fraud trial. She is facing charges of conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly engaging in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud investors.A woman poses for a photograph after placing a wreath on a tombstone at Arlington National Cemetery on December 18. Wreaths were placed on more than 250,000 tombstones during the 30th annual “Wreaths Across America” project. Al Drago/Getty ImagesChilean President-elect Gabriel Boric greets supporters as he leaves the La Moneda presidential palace after meeting with President Sebastian Pinera in Santiago, Chile, on December 20. Boric will become Chile’s youngest President after he won a presidential runoff election on Sunday. Esteban Felix/APThe Glasgow Warriors and Exeter Chiefs compete in the fog during the Heineken Champions Cup rugby match at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland, on December 18.Tiger Woods and his 12-year-old son, Charlie Woods, fist bump on the course ahead of the PNC Championship in Orlando, Florida, on December 17. They finished second. It was Tiger Woods’ first time competing on a golf course since a car crash that crushed his leg in February. Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty ImagesGeorgia Bisti-Bavella, 97, smiles as she receives a booster of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in Athens, Greece, on December 22. Public health authorities in Greece have stepped up a campaign to deliver booster shots to seniors and people with mobility issues at home. Thanassis Stavrakis/APLighthouse Immersive’s 92-foot-tall Vincent Van Gogh-shaped hot air balloon is launched at Lake Hollywood Park in Los Angeles on December 20.Models walk on the catwalk in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on December 16 during the presentation of a collection dubbed “No Nation Fashion,” a migrant-made fashion project. During the show, migrant models came out in designs meant to symbolize various stages of their journeys. APPeople wearing protective masks wait to be vaccinated as cyclists train at the National Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France, on December 22.Japanese Yaku macaque monkeys warm themselves by a bonfire at the Japan Monkey Centre in Inuyama on December 21.Children from the St. Paul’s Cathedral choir take part in a rehearsal at the cathedral in London on December 21.Green Bay Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard is unable to hold on to a pass in the end zone in front of Baltimore Ravens defensive back Kevon Seymour on December 19.Workers remove the “Pillar of Shame” sculpture at the University of Hong Kong on December 23. The memorial honored victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, in which the Chinese military crushed protests led by college students in Beijing with deadly force. Anthony Kwan/Getty ImagesUS President Joe Biden speaks about the Covid-19 surge from the State Dining Room of the White House on December 21. The President aimed to reassure vaccinated Americans that they can still proceed with their holiday plans without fear of becoming seriously ill, announcing a number of new efforts to combat the rising cases. Patrick Semansky/APYouTube personality Jake Paul knocks out former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley during round six of an eight-round bout in Tampa on December 18.A reveler climbs stones as people gather to celebrate the winter solstice at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, Britain, on December 22.Djamel Eddine Benlamri of Algeria celebrates following a victory in the FIFA Arab Cup final against Tunisia on Friday, December 18, in Al Khor, Qatar. Algeria scored two goals in extra time to beat Tunisia. David Ramos/FIFA/Getty ImagesGeese fly overhead as the first winter frost blankets the fields in Oudeland van Strijen, Netherlands, on Tuesday, December 21.
