Covid news and the latest on the Omicron variant: Live updates

There’s no limit on the number of tests that will be covered if a doctor or other medical professional orders or gives them after an office visit.“This is all part of our overall strategy to ramp up access to easy-to-use, at-home tests at no cost,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in the release.From CNN's Livia BorgheseTwo-thirds of the intensive care unit beds in Italy are currently occupied by Covid-19 patients not vaccinated against the virus, Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Monday. "We used $3 billion to procure tests, which became a major driver in increasing and expanding the market for tests.""The President’s plan to procure and distribute 500 million tests to all Americans is in and of itself providing a major stimulus for global production of these tests," she went on.Among other things, the lawmakers called on the administration to establish a hotline where Americans could access free tests, in addition to the website already announced by the White House for people to order tests online.Psaki said there would be "more details" on a hotline this week.More background: The Biden administration signed its first contracts with a Covid-19 test manufacturer as part of Biden's efforts to distribute half a billion free rapid tests throughout the country, a White House official confirmed to CNN last Friday. The 500 million new tests will be made available in January and will reach Americans through the mail, according to the White House.From CNN's Nikki CarvajalThe first Covid-19 tests that will be sent to Americans for free will start arriving for distribution “early next week,” the White House said Monday. As CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported, officials have offered few details since Biden announced the endeavor to send free test kits amid a nationwide shortage and surge in new cases.From CNN’s Marnie HunterThe US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday added Canada to its highest-risk category for travel.