As coronavirus cases surge in the days before Christmas, President Joe Biden plans to increase support for hospitals, improve access to Covid-19 testing through hundreds of millions of rapid at-home tests and expand the availability of vaccines that can reduce the risks from the Omicron variant.

The world is confronting the prospect of a second straight holiday season with Covid-19 as families and friends begin to gather while the variant quickly spreads.

Scientists don't yet know whether Omicron causes more serious disease, but they do know that vaccination should offer strong protections against severe illness and death.