President Joe Biden is set to kick off a more urgent campaign for Americans to get COVID-19 booster shots 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.

Also Read: US records second Omicron case in Minnesota: Health officials

What are the new changes?

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 United States 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.

Also Read: Omicron variant symptoms: Fatigue, mild fever and a scratchy throat

In an effort to encourage more people to take the booster doses, the Biden administration is stepping up direct outreach to seniors — the population most vulnerable to the virus.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will send a notice to all 63 million Medicare beneficiaries encouraging them to get booster doses, the White House said. The AARP will work with the administration on education campaigns for seniors.  

The White House said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was also developing new guidance for schools in an effort to reduce or eliminate current quarantine requirements for those who are not fully vaccinated and exposed to the virus. 

Also Read: Omicron, first detected in South Africa, may have originated earlier

About 100 million Americans are eligible for boosters under the current United States policy, with more becoming eligible every day.

Convincing those who have already been vaccinated to get another dose, officials believe, will be far easier than vaccinating the roughly 43 million adult Americans who have not gotten a shot despite widespread public pressure campaigns.