Biden to launch winter booster shots

President Joe Biden is set to kick off a more urgent campaign for Americans to get Covid-19 booster shots on Thursday as he unveils his winter plans for combating the coronavirus and its omicron variant with enhanced availability of shots and vaccines but without major new restrictions.

The plan includes a requirement for private insurers to cover the cost of at-home Covid-19 tests and a tightening of testing requirements for people entering the US regardless of their vaccination status.

But as some other nations close their borders or reimpose lockdowns, officials said Biden was not moving to impose additional restrictions beyond his recommendation that Americans wear masks indoors in public settings.

Biden said Wednesday that the forthcoming strategy, to be unveiled during a speech at the National Institutes of Health, would fight the virus "not with shutdowns or lockdowns but with more widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing, and more."

The White House released details of Biden's plan early Thursday, in advance of the speech.