The 30-day emergency order authorizes medical centers and nursing homes to expand bed counts, staffing and care without meeting certain regulatory requirements.
Virginia reported 3,500 hospitalizations Monday, with the number of patients on ventilators more than doubling since Dec. 21. An overwhelming number of the severely ill COVID patients are unvaccinated, according to the governor's order.
Under the new policy, Americans will be able to either purchase home testing kits for free under their insurance or submit receipts for the tests for reimbursement, up to the monthly per-person limit.
A family of four, for instance, could be reimbursed for up to 32 tests per month. PCR tests and rapid tests ordered or administered by a health provider will continue to be fully covered by insurance with no limit.
President Joe Biden faced criticism over the holiday season for a shortage of at-home rapid tests as Americans traveled to see family amid the surge in cases from the more transmissible omicron variant. Now the administration is working to make COVID-19 home tests more accessible, both by increasing supply and bringing down costs.
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