White House: COVID-19 Relief Funds Will Soon Be Used Up

After Congress dismissed adding nearly $23 billion in funding, the White House has stated that the United States will shortly use up all its financing for COVID-19 relief, including treatments and subsequent booster shots.

The Biden administration is calling off plans to buy more monoclonal antibody treatments as a result, NPR reports. Democrats are likely to continue with an independent COVID funding bill.

According to CNN, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients wants Congress to "provide more funding for State and USAID-led efforts to help countries turn vaccines into vaccinations -- to get shots in arms around the world." Vaccine doses are not short in supply, as officials say that immunocompromised people can get a fourth dose. If a fourth dose becomes standard, however, funds may not be sufficient enough to meet the demands of the country.

The news arrives as the omicron subvariant known as BA.2 is surging across nations in Europe. NBC News reported that although the U.S. is seeing a decline in cases, it potentially could follow the same fate as European countries. University of Warwick virologist Lawrence Young said the nation “certainly needs to take note and consider the impact of yet another more transmissible variant."