Omicron variant confirmed in Missouri one day after Biden announces reimbursement for at-home COVID tests
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The first confirmed case of the omicron variant was confirmed in Missouri one day after President Joe Biden announced his plan to make at-home COVID-19 tests free through insurance.
Friday, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the first confirmed Missouri case of the omicron variant was found in St. Louis resident.
“Although there is much we still need to learn about this new variant, we do know the best tool currently available to protect ourselves from COVID-19 is personal prevention. I urge Missourians to seek information on the Omicron variant from DHSS and trusted medical sources opposed to social media,” said DHSS Director Donald Kauerauf in a release. “We also encourage Missourians to remain vigilant in protecting themselves and staying informed this holiday season as this new variant is investigated further.”
As more and more states confirm cases of the omicron variant, Biden announced his plan to mitigate the virus at the National Institutes of Health Thursday. Part of his plan is to make at-home tests free through insurance or free clinics for the uninsured.
Dr. Christopher Sampson with University of Missouri Health Care told ABC 17 the omicron variant is likely already widespread.
"Most likely [omicron] is already in a lot of areas of the world if we've already found it in South Africa, Europe and the United States," Sampson said.
Sampson said the omicron variant is treated the same as every other variant of COVID in the hospital and people can protect themselves against it in the same ways.
"Again, it's the similar approach that people should be taking as previously," Sampson said. "Social distancing, wearing masks, good hand washing, having good healthy habits, and again the big important thing is so far the vaccine still appears to be effective."
ABC 17 talked to Anthony Desha, owner of Flow's Pharmacy, about how Biden's plan might change the way people buy at-home test kits.
"The buying process will be all the same," Desha said. "It'll just be after you buy it, you'll have to submit your receipt to the insurance company through the mail and then they'll, in turn, send you a check or some sort of reimbursement back unless it comes to something where we get a prescription for it and I can build it directly here, but I haven't heard anything on that yet."
Guidance on how exactly the reimbursement process works won't be shared until Jan. 15, 2022.
