enact in society, if you're going to have any type of life, omicron will be something you encounter, and the best way to encounter this is to be fully vaccinated. quote, fully vaccinated. this is not march 2020 or december 2020. we have vaccines. so, yes, while omicron may still break through your inoculation, the shots will keep you from getting really, really, really sick, according to the data public health officials have right now. that is part of what the president plans on emphasizing when he addresses all of us from the white house in a few minutes. he's also expected to announce at-home tests for any american na wants one. more federal testing sites on top of the 20,000 already in place and 1,000 medical personnel from the military deployed to help where they are needed. all of that and a frustrating acknowledgment that there are people in this country who will not get vaccinated, no matter what he says, no matter how fast omicron is spreading, no matter who tells them. >> what we've done is historic. don't let them take away -- don't take it away from ourselves. you're playing right into their hands when you're sort of like, oh, the vaccine. if you don't want to take it, you shouldn't be forced to take it. no mandates. but take credit because we saved tens of millions of lives. >> both the president and i are vaxxed. did you get the booster? >> yes. >> i got it, too. >> don't, don't, don't. >> that's booing there. joining me now is msnbc news correspondent gabe gutierrez in new york city, nbc news correspondent dr. alba. she has served on white house committees and worked with the world health organization. so, gabe, tell us what you're seeing in new york, especially when it comes to testing, because remember, new york is the future for much of the rest of the country. >> hey there, katy. you can see if we swing to this line, as so many others are throughout the city, if you're standing all the way up there, this is the second testing site, actually, that we were at today. we were in another one in queens. people have told us they've been there for several hours. if you look at this line, it actually extends all the way down the corner. this is midtown in east manhattan. today new york city announced it will offer $100 for people to get the boost. that's how they're trying to contain this spread. katy, as you mentioned, 73% of new omicron cases with the omicron variant. just last week it was 13%. it is incredible to see how quickly this variant has really spread across the country. here in new york, the state has just announced another record number of covid cases for four consecutive days. local officials here, again, are really trying to do what they can to contain it in addition to what the president is set to announce later today, the state of new york is also trying to set up its own website to be able to get people to sign up and get home tests sent to their home. katy? >> doctor, the number of cases, the rate at which it is skyrocketing is astounding. 101 manhattan residents in just one week. the numbers are even higher if you look at certain neighborhoods in manhattan. i think 136 are going to the west village and greenwich. that is astonishing. should we be focused on these numbers or should we be folk folk -- focused on deaths and hospitalizations? >> let's try to bring this whole thing into perspective. yes, this is a far more rapidly spreading variant than we've ever seen for sars-cov-2. let's remember it has less pressure to become virulent. this omicron, despite what you've heard, is just as virulent in unvaccinated as other forms of sars-cov-2. the reason it seems lels virulent overall is the individuals who have been infected. in south africa, their population is younger. that helps. they recently had a huge range of delta, so a lot of these are second time infections, and soon after, therefore, they have some level of protection, and the numbers of vaccinated people. there are three things you have to think about for any infection in terms of what is going to be the net outcome. the environment, the pathogen itself, in this case sars-cov-2, and the hope. if you can monitor any of that, you can change the course of the disease. we'll not see any pressure of sars-cov-2 for a less virulent pathogen. the environment, we can alter that, and number two, ourselves. and the best way to protect ourselves is to have the highest levels of high quality antibodies, and the best way to get those is to get vaccinated and get boosted. every time you get that additional exposure to another dose of the vaccine, you're increasing the population of cells that are more effective at not the just the original viral form but even the variant. so getting that booster is absolutely critical in order to really make this a non-issue. >> so you are saying that just because in south africa the hospitalization rate and the death rate is not as high as other variants, that's because south africa has a different population, a younger and healthier population, and one that has come into greater content with delta and some vaccination. here in the united states, we keep hearing this from dr. fauci, we have a different population, a different set of health issues in the population here. but if you are vaccinated and you are boosted, you should be fine with this so long as you've taken those steps? >> so, of course, there is other factors involved. your underlying conditions are going to have a role to play as well, but being vaccinated and being boosted, which that's what is truly vaccinated now, is having at least those three shots, you should not end up with severe disease, and once you are infected, because this thing is very contagious and can get into you and can lead to initiation and infection, you clear it that much faster which means you're less contagious to other people as well. so you'll be contagious for a shorter period of time. you will be contagious, but for a shorter period of time than you were if you had not been vaccinated. >> what is that period of time? because right now the isolation, the quarantine rules still say ten days, and that's a whole lot of time, especially for those who have to get back to work. it's a whole lot of time for people who have families and need to get back to helping out with child care or caring, period. when you say shorter time, what are you talking about? three days, four days? do you have a number? >> we don't have a number that's broad for everyone because we're still in the early process of figuring out exactly how long overall it is per individual. that's why we're emphasizing testing, testing, testing, and that's why it's really important, if you're going to be getting together with people you love, friends and family, you should test. you should test and people who are positive should not participate, certainly not taking off their masks if they're with other people. and ideally they really shouldn't come into any kind of party. >> monica, so the president is going to say, hey, listen, this is not march 2020. it's different, especially for those who are vaccinated. he's also expected to say we shouldn't shut down schools, we shouldn't go back to work, but we're seeing schools closing and other places that are essential. what should the president do to get this message out there? >> reporter: he's really been dialing up on the message. for months they've been talking about this being a pandemic for the unvaccinated. that really isn't the case since we're seeing breakthrough cases, but of course they may be more mild. the white house has to talk about this from the perspective that we have the tools to prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death. if you do get vaccinated and if you get your booster on top of it. the president is really going to punch home those messages. he wants everyone to listen to that, especially ahead of the holidays. this is a speech he wasn't planning to give. they thought the winter plan would suffice the next few months, and of course the omicron spike meant he has to really now announce these additional steps, which is to really ramp up some of the federal testing sites. there are about 20,000. clearly there aren't enough. you see those long lines not just in new york but throughout the northeast. then something the white house kind of mocked and dismissed a few weeks ago which is sending at-home kits and tests to people if they want them through a government website. half a billion will be available starting next month. of course, that doesn't meet the immediate need but shows the pressure they're under to do more on that front. the president will be talking about all of that later this hour in addition to more military personnel who could be deployed to hospitals that are now sadly going to be overflowing and overrun again, katy. >> through a government website. i imagine that won't be easy to use if it passes the precedent with government websites. i still don't understand why they're not being handed out for free like they're doing in the u.k. at pharmacies and stores there, no questions asked. doctor, i have one more question for you. i'm running out of time. when we talk about the contagious quality of this variant, are we talking about surfaces, or is it more we have to wear a mask rather than touching a subway wall? >> a new subject done in ireland are showing that homites are a much bigger issue. they had a much quicker rate of being infected overall. the details of the study is just coming to light. we'll see more of that soon. the good news is on surfaces, it doesn't last for a long time, but do keep the hygienist step of keeping yourself safe. >> i think i'm going to say goodbye to my fingerprints entirely with the amount of hand sanitizer i've been using. dr. marty, sorry for cutting you off there at the end. ladies, thank you so much for getting us started. we're going to the president as soon as he starts speaking. texas is the first death of the omicron variant, a man with underlying conditions. the health level has been raised to orange because of an explosive surge of omicron. hospitals are already feeling the strain and worried about what more could come after the holiday. as my next guest, a texas doctor told a local tv station, quote, i am exhausted. this is like the never-ending story, except not entertaining. joining me now is dr. joseph verone at the critical center in texas. thank you for joining me. i heard you have worked 162 days straight since the outbreak of this pandemic. you've only taken two days off, and that was in july, to marry your daughter. how are you still okay? how are you still working? >> i have no idea. i guess knowing that covid is here and covid is not going anywhere keeps me going. patients need us. we care for a specific part of the population that is indigent, a lot of immigrants, a lot of people of color. someone has to care for them. i guess that keeps me going. >> what are you seeing right now in your hospital? who is coming in that's really sick? >> unfortunately, what i have seen the last few weeks is people are coming in extremely sick with more than two weeks of symptoms. they come in literally with one foot on the grave. over two or three months, the people that come in, all of them are unvaccinated. 100% of the patients i'm meeting are unvaccinated. >> that's a stark number. there are people out there that are probably assuming, hey, listen, there are better treatments now if i get hospitalized and sick even if i'm not vaccinated. but as i understand it, and you tell me what you know with your expertise, those treatments have to be administered pretty quickly, and if they're coming in after two weeks of symptoms, do those treatments still work? >> that's the problem. if you get people early in the illness, you can fix it. but once they come in with a couple weeks of sickness, it becomes much more difficult. again, it's a personal choice whether or not they want to be vaccinated, but clearly we have seen a defense on those who have been vaccinated rather than those who are unvaccinated. >> what would it take for the unvaccinated in your area to get vaccinated? is it a government mandate? which isn't going to happen in texas. is it something else? >> absolutely not. mandates actually backfire. when you were a kid and your mom told you to do something, you didn't want to do it. what we need to do is have an educational program where you are constantly telling people, why vaccination, and be very transparent. say the good, the bad and the ugly of vaccines, not just make it this is the way it works. that's what i would do, i would make sure i'm 100% transparent with the vaccination, including side effects. i think it's important that people it have a choice. >> you tell me, what do you say to those who are unwilling to get vaccinated? >> the first thing i ask them is tell me why. if they tell me they're concerned about the microchip or one of the zombies or something like that, but if they have a legitimate reason, and i try to understand why and i try to work with them to convince them. i have been quite successful, actually, in several of my patients to convince them to get vaccinated. i have to respect them. we are in this country because we have freedom of choice and freedom of speech. so sometimes i have to understand where they're coming from, and you know that sometimes you're not going to win no matter what you do. >> when you say you run into people who are worried about the microchip or they're going to become zombies, do you consider them to be hopeless cases? >> i think they're not educated. education would make a difference. i say talk to me about the microchip or where did you review this data on zombies? education, education, education. that's how we can get people to understand, no, they're not going to end up sterile if you vaccinate them. there are a lot of cultural means that we have. >> education, education. it's always up to the person if they're willing to learn, though. dr. varon, thank you for joining us. 642 days on the job. that's real stamina, my friend. thank you for all that you do. >> thank you. and, again, the president will address the nation later this hour. we're going to go to him live once he begins. also ahead, one of their own. the january 6 committee is now looking at a sitting congressman for information on the insurrection. and senate democrats will talk about the future of build back better tonight, but will joe manchin show up? n show up? t? try new downy light in-wash scent beads. it has long-lasting light scent, no heavy perfumes, and no dyes. finally, a light scent that lasts all day. new downy light! (vo) t-mobile for business helps small business owners prosper during their most important time of year. when you switch to t-mobile and bring your own device, we'll pay off your phone up to $1000. you can keep your phone. keep your number. and get your employees connected on the largest and fastest 5g network. plus, we give you $200 in facebook ads on us! so you can reach more customers, create more opportunities, and finish this year strong. visit your local t-mobile store today. and finish this year strong. when our daughter and her kids moved in with us... our bargain detergent couldn't keep up. turns out it's mostly water. so, we switched back to tide. one wash, stains are gone. [daughter] slurping don't pay for water. pay for clean. it's got to be tide. (vo) singing, or speaking. reason, or fun. daring, or thoughtful. sensitive, or strong. progress isn't either or progress is everything. super emma just about sleeps in her cape. but when we realized she was battling sensitive skin, we switched to tide hygienic clean free. it's gentle on her skin, and out cleans our old free detergent. tide hygienic clean free. hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin. almost 48 hours since build back better died, democrats are wondering how do you solve a problem like joe manchin. senate democrats will hold a meeting tonight on build back better and voting rights, two priorities that manchin blocked. manchin may not even dial in. it's another example of the divide between the west virginia senator and his democratic colleagues, a divide that persists even after reports that the senator spoke with the president sunday night following his surprise announcement that he would vote no, a call both parties have described as, quote, cordial. joining me now is nbc capitol hill correspondent garrett haake. garrett, the framing from the white house was cordial. there will be this call-in among senate democrats. what should we expect from joe manchin and is there any hope that democrats are either going to get this bill back on the table in some form, or are they going to start frankensteining it and using it alone for other bills? >> i think the frankenstein announcement, while not seasonally appropriate, is the more likely outcome for this bill. we don't even know if joe manchin will participate. these caucus calls are not the kind of thing where attendance is mandatory, and even though joe manchin is the cause of this call, his office isn't saying one way or another whether he'll be on it. after some kind of cooling-off period over the holiday break, you'll see some elements of this bill resuscitated in some way, and it's going to have to have joe manchin's blessing. it could be a very bitter pill to swallow for the rest of the party, but there is just not a way to make the math work without joe manchin's buy-in. >> and joe manchin understands the power leverage that he has, and he's been using it to his advantage. now they're hearing leaks about what joe manchin was saying behind closed doors about their own constituents, about how they might use the child tax credit for drugs, and how men who get paid time off will go hunting, stuff that isn't flattering for him and could potentially damage him in his home state of west virginia, even though it is a very red state who voted for president trump and not president biden. i wonder, given all that, why would manchin -- i guess, why would he want to get on this call tonight? does he feel bruised? you tell me. you're much better at reporting what's going on in congress unanimous me sitting here in new york. >> well, the gloves are off, right? i think the different action behind the scenes is coming to the fore, and i think there are a lot of progressives in congress that are throwing their hands up here. they feel like they negotiated in good faith and all of a sudden joe manchin pulled the rug from them. to your point, there is not a lot of upside for joe manchin to join that the all today. there is a lot of frustration that he decided to make this announcement on fox news, that he didn't tell his colleagues first. so i would expect a lot of hot air, lashing, frustration to come forward in that phone conversation. i'm sure joe manchin wants to fast forward to days, if not a week. they need to get back in the room and say, what can we do now? it's very unlikely that build back better in its current form will find any way forward. but trying to frankenstein gets really, really difficult, because there is a lot of -- >> we've lost ana. garrett, here is a question for you. joe manchin is a democrat. presumably his interests lie in keeping the democrat in the white house and keeping the balance on the democratic side. not necessarily his own political interest. i understand everybody wants those top first and foremost. but given that he's not working with the president on this, given that he's undercutting the president's own message that the president himself is able to legislate, to help legislate, to build bridges when there is not consensus, when there is not agreement. i guess, what is the motivation for manchin to try to mend this fence, politically speaking, for the future of his party for 2022 and 2024? >> reporter: i don't know how manchin looks at it as the future of the party. however, if you look at the minority, he's not a swing voter anymore, he's not a chairman anymore, he's just some guy that might join in with republicans on some issues. joe manchin still wants to be in the party that controls washington. that's the democratic party, at least for now. manchin wants to be in the middle of this. when you talk about building bridges, manchin was the one who helped quarterback the infrastructure bill and it kind of blew up with manchin wanting to be at the center of it. manchin is kind of the democratic version of lindsey graham. when there is something going on, he wants to be in the middle of it. i don't imagine a scenario where everybody else in the democratic party comes back to washington and manchin says, i'm just sitting it out. it's not in his nature. >> it makes a lot of sense to say, hey, listen, i have a lot of power right now with the democrats in charge, and i have no power with the republicans in charge. garrett haake, thank you so much. ana, sorry about your camera. we'll get you on soon. and democrats want to talk to a sitting member of congress. to a sitting member of congress. how liberty mutual customizes their car insurance. ow! i'm ok! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ only in theaters december 17th. [music: sung by craig robinson] ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ ♪ i'm a ganiac, ganiac, check my drawers ♪ [sfx: sniffs] ♪ and my clothes smell so much fresher than before ♪ try gain flings and you'll be a gainiac too! the only detergent with oxiboost and febreze. ♪♪ thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer are living in the moment and taking ibrance. ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole. ibrance may cause low white blood cell counts that may lead to serious infections. ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs. both of these can lead to death. tell your doctor if you have new or worsening chest pain, cough, or trouble breathing. before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are or plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. for more information about side effects talk to your doctor. ♪♪ be in your moment. ask your doctor about ibrance. unleash the freshness... be in your moment. still fresh. in wash-scent booster. ♪ downy unstopables for the first time the january 6 committee wants to talk to a sitting member of congress. the chairman announced that scott in pennsylvania was to announce jeffrey clark as a member of the administration. he said he would not cooperate and he called the committee illegitimate. joining me is justice correspondent pete williams and reporter sahil kapur from capitol hill. pete -- first of all, sahil, what does the committee want to learn from congressman perry? >> people believe he was involved in the plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election, particularly, as you note, he was trying to get installed acting attorney general jeff clark. clark was trying to sign off on a letter making fabricating claims of widespread irregularities in the election all to get states like georgia not to certify joe biden's win. they have evidence from witnesses that he was texting white house officials, including then chief of staff mark meadows. they were making conspiracy theories about voting machines and which lacks evidence. so they have asked him to voluntarily provide documents and to speak to the committee. congressman perry has refused, and that's where they are right now. they're trying to figure out what happens next. >> is it tricky to subpoena someone of your own body, someone from the house, when you're a house committee? has that ever been done before? >> there is no modern precedent that experts are aware of for this, katy, and that's why there is a sense the committee wants to tread carefully on this. there is no precedent at all. what the committee does will certainly set the table for future congresses and their ability to cite or subpoena members of congress to testify in an oversight hearing. that's something the committee is grappling with now. one thing i will note is that congressman perry's contention that the january 6 select committee is illegitimate and not duly constituted. that's not going over well with members of the committee. it was certainly a resolution passed by the house of representatives, there are precedents for these select committees and courts recognize and doj recognize them as legitimate. >> any idea if this is the first members of congress that the committee wants to talk to? >> it's unclear on that front, because the chair, bennie thompson, has not ruled out the general idea of subpoenaing members of congress if they need to. the committee mentioned in this letter that they are deeply respectful of the prerogatives and the privacy of members of congress, but they believe they have a solid ability to pursue this, what congressman perry is alleged to have done and they also believe they have the duty to find the facts, so they're caught between a couple conflicting objectives here, katy. >> you covered the doj. remind us of what happened with the doj at a time when someone were trying to install jeffrey clark. >> there was talk that trump was going to make him attorney general and get rid of everybody else below him, and there are meetings from the white house, we know, from some of the people that were there, that the president was talked out of doing that, that there would be some sort of saturday night massacre action. jeffrey clark was writing drafting memos suggesting that the justice department reach out to state legislatures and say, hey, you know, you don't have to go with the popular vote. you can choose your own presidential nominee. >> what about alex jones? he is now suing the committee, the january 6 committee, in hopes of evading a deposition. >> yeah, i think that's the real goal here. it's trying to block the committee from getting his phone records and requiring him to give a deposition, but it's also a broader attack, claiming the committee can't legally do anything because it wasn't set up properly under the house rules. this is the same argument that congressman perry makes. but the jones lawsuit makes several other sweeping constitutional arguments, and some of them would appear to already be foreclosed on the d.c. court of appeals in its ruling in a separate lawsuit over president trump's white house records. he also claimed that the committee doesn't have a legitimate need but the court said it does have a need to acquire information as it tries to figure out what the causes of the capitol riot were. in fact, several people asked to provide documents or testimony or whose phone records have been subpoenaed and file similar lawsuits including mark meadows, jonathan ito who tried to put pressure on vice president pence to turn over the vote count. >> pete williams and sahil kapur, thank you so much for joining us. the president is about to address the nation on omicron. we'll go there live in just a moment. but first, what should you expect and what should you do if you're still traveling for the holidays? holidays oh, we can help with that. okay, imagine this. your mover, rob, he's on the scene and needs a plan with a mobile hotspot. we cut to downtown, your sales rep lisa has to send some files, like asap! so basically i can pick the right plan for each employee. yeah i should've just led with that. with at&t business. you can pick the best plan for each employee and get the best deals on every smart phone. [ echoing ] some of us were born for this. to protect people. to help them save. with a home and auto bundle from progressive. ahh. i was born for this. and now it's prime time. cut. jamie, what are you doing? you're not even in this one. i thought it was thursday. sorry. -it is. -i thought -- i thought it was last thursday. at fidelity, your dedicated advisor will help you create a comprehensive wealth plan for your full financial picture. with the right balance of risk and reward. so you can enjoy more of...this. this is the planning effect. o man, that's a whole lot of wrinkly at least my shoes look good! of...this. looking good start with bounce wrinkleguard, the megasheet designed to prevent wrinkles in the dryer. any minute president biden will address the nation on omicron, now the most dominant strain in the u.s. in just three weeks. a major part of the plan will be shipping half a billion tests to any american who wants one. the president will also direct the military and fema to assist hospitals and set up free testing sites. it is urgent the tsa estimates that 30 million americans will travel between now and january 3rd. sam brock from miami is at a testing site, and emergency doctor and director dr. albert ramirez. he was the former pandemic and emerging threats coordinator during the obama administration. sam, testing. it's a big problem. what are you seeing down there? >> half a billion testing sites can't come fast enough. people have told me they've waited two to three hours to get their tests. i imagine 4,000 people will come to this one site to get tested. basically on the other end of a field, there is an vaccination site where they also do boosters. no wait at all. that is part of the problem right now and the key to the messaging of mayor la cava pleading, you have to get those booster shots. >> sam, i'm so sorry, the president has started speaking so we'll go to the president at the white house. >> so as we head into christmas weekend, i want to answer your questions about the rising number of covid cases, covid-19 cases. and i want to start by acknowledging how tired, worried and frustrated i know you are. i know how you're feeling. for many of you this will be the third or even the second christmas that you'll look across the table and there will be an empty chair there. tens of millions have gotten sick. we've all experienced upheaval in our lives. while covid has been a tough adversary, we've shown that we're tougher. tougher because we have the power of science and vaccines that prevent illness and save lives. and tougher because of our resolve so that -- let me ask you some questions that lay out the steps the vice president and i are taking to prepare for the rising number of cases experts tell us we could expect in the weeks ahead. first, how concerned should you be about omicron, which is now the dominant variant in this country, and it happened so quickly? the answer is straightforward. if you're not fully vaccinated, you have good reason to be concerned. you're at a high risk of getting sick. if you get sick, you're likely to spread it to others, including friends and family. the unvaccinated have a significantly higher risk of ending up in a hospital or even dying. almost everyone who has died from covid-19 in the past many months has been unvaccinated. unvaccinated. if you're among the majority of americans who are fully vaccinated, and especially if you've gotten the booster shot, that third shot, you have much, much less reason to worry. you have a high degree of protection against the variant illness. because omicron spreads so easily, we'll see some fully vaccinated people get covid, potentially in large numbers. there will be positive cases in every office. even here in the white house among the vaccinated from omicron. but these cases are highly unlikely to lead to serious illness. vaccinated people who get covid may get ill, but they're protected from severe illness and death. that's why you should still remain vigilant. according to our doctors, even if you're fully vaccinated, you should wear a mask when indoors and in public settings. wearing a mask provides extra protection for you and those around you, and 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. if you are vaccinated and follow the precautions that we all know well, you should feel comfortable celebrating christmas and the holidays as you planned it. you know, you've done the right thing. you can enjoy the holiday season. thanks to the progress on vaccinations this fall, we've gone from nearly 90 million adults who had not even started their vaccination process to fewer than 40 million today. still too many, but down from 90 to 40. all these people who have not been vaccinated, you have an obligation to yourselves, to your family, and quite frankly, i know i'll get criticized for this, to your country. get vaccinated now. it's free. it's convenient. i promise you it saves lives. i honest to god believe it's your patriotic duty. another question folks are asking is what can you do to make yourself and your family feel safer and be safer? the answer is simple. get your booster shot. wear a mask. our doctors have made it clear booster shots provide the strongest protection. unfortunately, we still have tens of millions of people who are eligible for the booster shot who have not yet gotten it. they've gotten the first two shots but they've not gotten the booster. folks, the booster shots are free and widely available. over 60 million americans, including 62% of eligible seniors, our most vulnerable group, have gotten their booster shots. i got my booster shot as soon as they were available. just the other day, former president trump announced he got his booster shot. it may be one of the few things he and i agree on. people with booster shots are highly protected. join them. join us. it's been six months or more since my second shot. if it's been six months or more for your second shot when i got my booster, you can get yours today if you're six months or more since your second shot. another question folks are asking is are we going back to march 2020? not this last march 2021, but march 2020 when the pandemic first hit? that's what i keep getting asked. the answer is absolutely no. no. there are three big differences between then and now. number one, first one, more than 200 million americans are fully vaccinated. in march 2020, no one was fully vaccinated. what that means is today, a case of covid-19 for a fully vaccinated and boosted person will most likely mean no symptoms or mild ones similar to the common respiratory viruses. over 200 million americans should have a peace of mind that they did not have in march of 2020. they're protected from hospitalization and they're protected from death. second point, we're prepared today for what's coming. in march of 2020, we were not ready. today we stockpiled enough gowns, masks and ventilators to deal with the surge of hospitalizations among the unvaccinated. today we're ready. and as i'll explain in a few minutes, we're going to be reinforcing our hospitals, helping them. number three, we know a lot more today than we did back in march of 2020. for example, last year we thought the only way to keep your children safe was to close our schools. today we know more and we have more resources to keep those schools open. you can get 5 to 11-year-olds vaccinated, a tool we didn't have until last month. today we don't have to shut down schools because of the case of covid-19. now if a student tests positive, other students can take the test and stay in the classroom if they're not affected rather than closing the whole school or having to quarantine. we can keep our k-12 schools open. that's exactly what we should be doing. so, folks, let me summarize. we should all be concerned about omicron, but not panicked. if you're fully vaccinated, and especially if you got your booster shot, you are highly protected. if you're unvaccinated, you're at a higher risk of getting severely ill from covid-19, getting hospitalized and even dying. so the best thing to do is get fully vaccinated and get your booster shot. and, no, this is not march of 2020. 200 million people are fully vaccinated. we're prepared. we know more. you just have to stay focused. that's where we stand. let me tell let me tell you about the additional steps i'm ordering today to take on what's coming. i know you heard a lot of this in the news already this morning. three weeks ago, i laid out a covid-19 action plan for this winter. i prepared us for this moment. today, we're making the plan even stronger. first, we're setting up our vaccination and booster efforts. we're stepping it up significantly. in the past two weeks, we have seen the highest vaccination rates since last spring. and we aren't as vaccinated as a country as we should be though. that's why we add 10,000 new vaccinations sites on top of the 80,000 sites we already had in place. even more will open in january. i know there are some parts of the country where people are eager to get their booster. it is hard to get appointment. excuse me. starting this week, i'll deploy hundreds more vaccinators and more sites to help get the booster shots in people's arms. i've ordered fema to stand up new pop-up vaccination clinics across the country where you can get the booster shot. we've opened -- excuse me. we opened fema vaccination sites in washington state and new mexico, recently as cases increased. today, i'm asking that fema set up in place was high demand. this will allow us to set more booster appointments over the next few weeks. i want to say a word to parents. if your children are not vaccinated, please get them vaccinated. if you are a parent, i understand you waited to see how the first shots went with other kids before getting your own kid vaccinated. you can stop waiting. 6 million children in our country ages 5 to 11 are vaccinated. get your children protected today. now. for those parents out there who have a child that's too young to be vaccinated that is under the age of 5, i know this can still be a scary time. one thing, one thing you can and must do, while we wait vaccines for children under 5 is get yourself fully vaccinated and boosted. as well as those around you. your children and care givers and siblings. it's critical to mask up in public indoor places. we know that our youngest children have only rarely been impacted by serious covid cases. but they can be further protected if they are surrounded by vaccinated people. again, folks who are not vaccinated, you may think you are only putting yourself at risk. it is your choice. your choice. not just a choice about you. it affects other people. you're putting other people at risk. loved ones, neighbors, strangers. your choice is the difference between life or death. the longer the virus is around, the more likely variants form. it may be deadlier than the ones that come before. let me say again and again and again and again. please get vaccinated. it's the only responsible thing to do. those not vaccinated are causing hospitals to become overrun again. i just spoke to the governor of new york. every covid-19 hospitalization means someone with a heart attack or cancer or serious illness may not get that bed or life-saving care they need in the hospital. look, let me give it to you straight again. omicron is potentially serious and deadly for unvaccinated people. let me be clear. thanks to the prior administration and scientific community, america is one of the first countries to get the vaccine. thanks to the hard work, we let a rollout made among americans getting shots in arms. vaccine resistance among some hardened. look, young vaccinated are responsible for their own choices. but those choices have been fueled by dangerous misinformation on cable tv and social media. you know, these companies and personalities are making money by pedalingpeddling misinformation. it is wrong. it's immoral. i call on the purchase have a yours of the lies to stop it. stop it now. one of the other things we know that has to be done is more testing. omicron spreads easily. especially among the unvaccinated. it is critically important we know who is infected. that means we need more testing. on that score, we are where we should be. we have over 20,000 free testing sites. we used the defense production act and spent $3 billion to expand the number of at-home test available for purchase on line and at your local pharmacy. we made sure insurance covers the pcr tests you get at the hospital or doctor's office. starting next month, private insurance will cover at-home testing so you can order a test online and get reimbursed. for providing access to free at-home tests for those who may have insurance as well. may not have insurance as well, i should say. it is not enough. we have to do more. we have to do better and we will. starting this week, the federal government will set up emergency testing sites in areas that need additional testing capacity. before christmas, the first several testing sites will be up and running in new york city with many more to come. this free testing is going to help reduce waiting lines. the time you have to spend waiting there. we will continue to add federal testing sites where needed. if you want an immediate test, there will be a place where you can go get it. we also need to do better with at-home testing. i'm announcing today that the federal government will purchase $500 million additional at-home rapid tests with delivery starting in january. we will give these tests to americans for free. we will have web sites where you can have them delivered to your home. we will access you to get a free testing site where you can enter covid test near me on google search bar. you can find locations nearby where you can get tested. you can continue to use the defense production act as we did earlier this month to make sure we were producing as many tests as quickly as possible. the bottom line is it is a lot better than it was. we're taking more steps to make it easier to get tested and tested for free. next, we're prepaing hospitals for what's coming. the 40 unvaccinated adults have a good chance of getting covid-19. some of you will get very sick. that will mean hospitals will get extremely stressed. both in terms of equipment as well as personnel to care for those who get sick. that's why my administration has stockpiled and positioned millions of gowns, gloves, masks and ventilators. ppe. we are ready to send them immediately to any state that needs more. i have directed the pentagon to mobilize additional 1,000 troops to be deployed to help staff local hospitals and expand capacity. that's 1,000 military doctors, nurses and medics who have already started moving military -- excuse me. they have started moving medical personnel on the ground having deployed since we learned about omicron. look, while we know staffing is the biggest need for hospitals, some may need more beds as well. i've directed fema to provide additional hospital beds and deploy now. we will begin to construct capaciies near hospitals to be ready if needed. and the federal government is paying for all of this. period. all of it. further, fema will deploy ambulances and ems crews so if hospitals fill up, we can transport to beds elsewhere. this week, we will send dozens of ambulances to new york and maine because the covid is spreading rapidly to help transport patients. do doctors and nurses and staff have gone above and beyond. the strain and stress is real. i mean it. it's real. we'll have their backs. we have to let them know we have their backs. finally, we're making sure that covid-19 no longer closes businesses or schools. last week, the federal court reinstated my administration's vaccination or test. vaccination test rule for businesses for more than 100 employees. requires employers to test workers that they be vaccinated or tested each

Related Keywords

Omicron , Place , Dread , Fact , Health Experts , It Hasn T , 2020 , March 2020 , Covid 19 , New York City , Residents , Adults , 100 , 80 , One , Cases , Cdc , 73 , One Way , Something , Vaccines , Quote , Life , Society , Type , December 2020 , President , Part , Officials , Shots , Plans , Public Health , Data , Inoculation , Yes , Tests , Military , Personnel , Top , Sites , All Of Us , White House , American Na , 20000 , 1000 , People , Country , Wall , Matter , Acknowledgment , It , I Don T Know How Manchin , Like , Shouldn T , Booster , Millions , Lives , Tens , Mandates , Don T , Credit , Booing , Vaxxed , Correspondent , Gabe Gutierrez , Alba , Nbc News , Msnbc , At Home Testing , Katy , Much , Rest , World Health Organization , Line , Testing Site , Others , City , Queens , Midtown , Corner , East Manhattan , Boost , Spread , 00 , Variant , 13 , Record Number , Addition , State , Four , Number , Doctor , Home , Website , Numbers , Rate , Skyrocketing , Neighborhoods , 136 , 101 , Folk , Greenwich , West Village , Thing , Perspective , Hospitalizations , Sars Cov 2 , Deaths , 2 , Unvaccinated , Pressure , Population , Reason , South Africa , Individuals , Forms , Lot , Range , Protection , Infections , Level , Delta , Infection , Things , Environment , Outcome , Terms , Pathogen Itself , Three , Course , Disease , Hope , Levels , Pathogen , Antibodies , Two , Exposure , Cells , Dose , Form , Hospitalization Rate , Order , A Non Issue , Vaccination , Variants , Death Rate , Content , United States , Steps , Issues , Health , Set , Fauci , Factors , Conditions , Well , Role , Initiation , Isolation , Quarantine Rules , Ten , Families , Child Care , Caring , Everyone , Testing , Individual , Process , Masks , Positive , Friends And Family , K 12 Schools , Democratic Party , Kind , Monica , We Shouldn T Go Back To Work , Places , Message , Reporter , Pandemic , Breakthrough Cases , Case , Isn T , Tools , Death , Holidays , Hospitalization , Illness , Messages , Speech He Wasn T Planning , Testing Sites , Winter Plan , Lines , Omicron Spike , Aren T Enough , Government Website , Northeast , Kits , A Billion , Hospitals , Need , Military Personnel , Front , Doesn T , Government , Precedent , Overflowing , Won T , Websites , Question , Questions , Quality , Stores , Pharmacies , U K , Running Out Of Time , Mask , Surfaces , Subject , Subway , Ireland , Homites , Study , Issue , Details , More , News , Safe , Yourself , Hygienist Step , Goodbye , Amount , Hand Sanitizer , Fingerprints , Ladies , The End , Marty , Texas , Health Level , Oman , Strain , Surge , Holiday , Tv Station , Guest , Center , Story , Joseph Verone , 162 , Daughter , Idea , Outbreak , July , Patients , Anywhere , Immigrants , Indigent , Hospital , Someone , Color , Symptoms , Are Unvaccinated , Grave , Foot , Sick , Treatments , Expertise , Problem , Choice , Sickness , Defense , Government Mandate , Which Isn T , Something Else , Area , Kid , Program , Mom , The Good Bad And Ugly , Microchip , Side Effects , Zombies , Several , Freedom Of Speech , Freedom Of Choice , Education , Difference , Person , Varon , Nation , Friend , Job , Stamina , 642 , Joe Manchin , House Committee , Information , Build , Congressman , Insurrection , Senate , 6 , January 6 , Light Scent , Scent Beads , Flight , Dyes , Perfumes , Employees , T Mobile , Phone , Vo , Business , Device , Small Business Owners Prosper , 000 , Largest , 5g Network , Customers , Opportunities , Facebook , 200 , 5 , Kids , Pay , Wash , Couldn T , Bargain Detergent , Stains , Water , Tide , Speaking , Fun , Daring , Progress Isn T , Everything , Super Emma , Skin , Detergent , Cape , Hypoallergenic , Tide Hygienic , 48 , Meeting , Priorities , Voting Rights , Example , Senator , Divide , Colleagues , Parties , Surprise Announcement , Both , West Virginia , Sunday Night , Correspondent Garrett Haake , Garrett , Framing , Capitol Hill , Cordial , Table , Bill , Call In , Bills , Frankenstein Announcement , Another , Cause , Call , Caucus Calls , Office Isn T , Attendance , Holiday Break , Elements , Bill Resuscitated , Pill , Blessing , Power Leverage , Math Work , Men , Doors , Constituents , Time Off , Child Tax Credit , Advantage , Hunting , Drugs , Trump , Joe Biden , Red State , Would Manchin , Isn T Flattering , Congress , Gloves , Reporting , Progressives , Action , Fore , Behind The Scenes , Point , Frustration , He Didn T , Rug , Faith , Upside , Announcement , Fox News , Phone Conversation , Air , Lashing , Say , Room , Interests , Ana , Everybody , First , Balance , Side , Interest , Consensus , Agreement , Motivation , Help , Fence , 2024 , 2022 , Chairman , Republicans , Swing Voter , Minority , Guy , Controls Washington , Middle , Infrastructure Bill , Least , Quarterback , Building Bridges , Scenario , Version , Washington , Lindsey Graham , Power , Sense , Charge , Nature , Member , Liberty Mutual , Car Insurance , Camera , Theaters , Music , Sfx , Clothes , Ganiac , December 17th , Craig Robinson , Check My Drawers , 17 , Women , Breast Cancer , Gainiac , Flings , Thousands , Try Gain , Febreze , Oxiboost , Taking Ibrance , Ibrance Plus , Hr , Aromatase Inhibitor , Hormonal , Therapy , Disease Progression , Breathing , Blood Cell , Inflammation , Lungs , Trouble , Cough , Chest Pain , Chills , Liver , Kidney Problems , Breastfeeding , Signs , Fever , Freshness , Downy Unstopables , Scott , Time , Pennsylvania , Pete Williams , Administration , Department Reach Out , Jeffrey Clark , Sahil Kapur , Congressman Perry , Election , Plot , Sahil , Letter , States , Claims , Irregularities , Georgia , Evidence , Chief Of Staff , Win , Witnesses , Mark Meadows , Conspiracy Theories , Documents , Voting Machines , House , Body , Experts , Members , Ability , Congresses , Contention , Oversight Hearing , Subpoena , Committee , Committees , Courts , Precedents , Resolution , House Of Representatives , Doj , Chair , Bennie Thompson , Subpoenaing , Prerogatives , Privacy , Duty , Facts , Couple , Objectives , Attorney General , Some , Sort , State Legislatures , Writing Drafting Memos , Meetings , Saturday Night Massacre Action , Alex Jones , Deposition , Popular Vote , Hopes , Nominee , Phone Records , Wasn T Set Up , Argument , Anything , Attack , Goal , House Rules , Court Of Appeals , Records , Lawsuit , Ruling , Arguments , Jones Lawsuit , D C , Court , Testimony , Committee Doesn T , Capitol Riot , Causes , Vice President , Jonathan Ito , Lawsuits , Pence , Vote Count , Plan , Scene , Mover , Hotspot , Rob , Employee , Lisa , Smart Phone , Downtown , Deals , Files , At T Business , Progressive , Bundle , Auto , Prime Time , Ahh , Cut , Jamie , Risk , Advisor , Wealth , Picture , Reward , Planning Effect , O Man , Wrinkly , Shoes , Bounce Wrinkleguard , Of , Wrinkles , Dryer , Megasheet , Fema , Sam Brock , Tsa , Miami , 30 Million , January 3rd , 3 , Director , Albert Ramirez , Emergency Doctor , Threats , Obama , End , Boosters , Vaccination Site , Site , Wait , Field , 4000 , Booster Shots , Messaging , Key , Mayor , La Cava Pleading , 19 , Many , Upheaval , Resolve , Adversary , Science , Save , Answer , Booster Shot , Shot , Majority , Omicron Spreads , Variant Illness , Degree , Vaccinated , Office , Doctors , Family , Friends , Settings , Precautions , Know Well , Thanks , Vaccinations , Holiday Season , 90 Million , Obligation , 40 Million , 90 , 40 , God , Folks , Safer , Feel , Group , Seniors , 60 Million , 62 , Six , Differences , Hit , 2021 , March 2021 , No One , Number One , 200 Million , Viruses , Mind , Peace , March Of 2020 , Gowns , Ventilators , Children , Way , Resources , Schools , Tool , 11 , Test , Students , Student , School , Stay , Classroom , 12 , Action Plan , Winter , Efforts , Vaccination Rates , 10000 , Vaccinations Sites , Parts , Appointment , 80000 , Arms , Vaccinators , Fema Vaccination Sites , New Mexico , Washington State , Pop Up Vaccination Clinics , Booster Appointments , Demand , Parents , Parent , Word , 6 Million , Age , Child , Siblings , Care Givers , Virus , Strangers , Neighbors , Loved Ones , Ones , Again And , Governor , Overrun , Bed , Cancer , Heart Attack , Care , Vaccine , Community , Countries , Work , Rollout , Choices , Vaccine Resistance , Hardened , Dangerous Misinformation , Personalities , Social Media , Cable Tv , Companies , Pedalingpeddling Misinformation , Making Money , Purchase , Yours , Score , Defense Production Act , 3 Billion , 6 Billion , Insurance , Pharmacy , Doctor S Office , Pcr , Access , Areas , Emergency Testing Sites , Testing Capacity , Waiting Lines , Running , Delivery , 00 Million , 500 Million , Web Sites , Covid Test , Google Search Bar , Locations , Bottom Line , Equipment , Chance , Troops , Pentagon , Ppe , Military Doctors , Capacity , Medics , Beds , Staffing , Ground , Hospital Beds , Ambulances , Elsewhere , Ems , Crews , Dozens , Maine , Dbacks , Transport Patients , Staff , Stress , Above And Beyond , Businesses , Federal Court , Employers , Workers , Vaccination Test Rule ,