Watch live as White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds briefing

Watch live as Jen Psaki holds the White House press briefing.

It comes hours after Joe Biden’s administration announced they will make 500 million rapid tests for Covid available free, amid new measures to tackle the Omicron variant.

The president will also address the nation later, urging Americans to protect themselves during the holiday season.

The White House said the newly announced measures would “mitigate the impact unvaccinated individuals have on our health care system”.

Omicron has become the dominant strain across the country accounting for nearly three-quarters of all new cases.

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