WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — To combat the latest surge of COVID hospitalizations, President Joe Biden promises help is on the way.
“I’m announcing our next deployment of six additional federal medical teams,” the president said.
Through the Department of Defense and Federal Emergency Management Agency, these medical teams will go to six states, to support overwhelmed hospitals.
“When you need something done, call in the military,” Biden said.
New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, Michigan and New Mexico all requested additional aid. FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell says there is an urgent need for staffing.
“Right now, as we’re seeing the omicron variant come up and the additional hospitalizations, we are sending additional personnel from the military to support this current need,” Criswell said.
Criswell says these teams are already on the move, and will be in place, inside hospitals by the end of the month.
“We have teams that have been deploying over the last week. We have more teams that are going. So, this is a phased-in process based on the needs of the state,” Criswell said.
Besides staffing, the administration is also addressing needs for more facility space and protective equipment.
“We’re gonna stay communicating with our states to see what their needs, we want to stay ahead of it,” Criswell said.
And the administration promises more support will go out to accommodate states’ needs in the coming weeks.
