United States President Joe Biden has announced the doubling of rapid at-home COVID-19 tests and the deployment of medical personnel to six hard-hit states as the nation confronts a surge in Omicron variant cases.

In a speech on Thursday, Biden announced that the federal government will double its order of rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests which will be distributed free to Americans.

In addition to the 500 million that are in the process of being acquired to ship to your homes for free, today I’m directing my team to procure an additional 500 million more tests to distribute for free,” he said.

Biden also announced that starting next week six federal teams made up of more than 120 military medical personnel each would be dispatched to hospitals in six-hard hit states: Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island.

The move came amid rising concern – and frustration – about the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant that has overwhelmed medical facilities and caused staff shortages across the US.

I know we are all frustrated as we enter this new year, the Omicron variant is causing millions of cases and record hospitalisations,” Biden said.

The rising cases have also caused major disruptions and closures in schhospitalizationse US.