Rural communities to get nearly $1 billion for COVID response Rural communities to get nearly $1 billion for COVID response Modern Healthcare Illustration / Getty Images The Biden administration on Tuesday made available nearly $1 billion to help rural communities respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The administration aims to increase the number of vaccines sent to rural areas, expand testing and other COVID-19 protection services, as well as try to bolster confidence in the vaccines and combat vaccine hesitancy. "Rural health providers are vital to ensure equity in COVID-19 testing, vaccinations and in making sure rural residents have the information about vaccine safety, especially for populations who are at an increased risk for COVID-19 infection or severe illness due to systemic health and social inequities and geographic isolation," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.