It's up to the states, now. That was Monday's message from President Joe Biden, who promised the federal government would have the back of any governor who wants its help with COVID prevention and testing. The message from the commander-in-chief sounded like one a general would send to the officers on the battlefield: You know what to do. Supplies are on the way. Do your best, and inspire your troops.

Supplies of masks and COVID tests should be arriving this week, allowing Connecticut and other participating states to carry out plans for distributing millions of the more effective N95 masks and home test kits. Vaccines are readily available and more testing sites are opening. That beats by far the Do It Yourself model of the early pandemic months of 2020, when the basic weapons were isolation and hand-washing. It also admits the political reality that if a president of one party isn't welcome to lead in a state governed by the other party, he'd best get out of the way.

Once again we pause and ask how the United States became so divided that Americans cannot even find common ground on helping each other stay alive and uninfected. We cannot even get consensus, from state to state, to encourage vaccinations and masks. The message that getting the vaccine is a patriotic act and a caring one seems to be lost on people who might otherwise claim to believe in patriotism and charity.

Yet we move on, because we cannot let down our guard against the omicron variant now sweeping the country. Here in Connecticut, the administration of Gov. Ned Lamont and its partners in the medical and public health sectors realistically view the urgency of the omicron variant: It is rapidly becoming another emergency. Connecticut, despite keeping its foot on the gas pedal for nearly two years to fight COVID spread, is finding its weaknesses against a viral strain that thrives on "normalcy."

As 2021 ends, Connecticut's eligible population is more than 78% vaccinated, one of the highest rates in the country. Yet with less than a week till 2022, on Tuesday the rate of positive test results touched 15%, the highest Connecticut has seen at any time in the pandemic. The great majority of those who test positive are unlikely to become very sick if they have been vaccinated; the vaccine, while less potent against omicron than against earlier variants, is highly successful at preventing serious illness and hospitalization.

The effectiveness of the vaccine means the focus of the public health campaign has shifted. Vaccinated people — and those who will soon have the benefit of oral medicines that further decrease the severity of illness — can get a test, stay home, follow medical advice and recuperate. Millions have already lived through that version of COVID. But for health care workers and first responders, it has been an interminable two years, leaving hospitals, fire and police departments strained. Many unvaccinated people and some others with underlying conditions continue to need hospitalization. In New London Monday, representatives of all three told U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal they need more and faster testing access.

More home tests and expanded medical testing sites are a key way that the federal government plans to assist. It won't matter what state a person lives in, or whether their governor believes in masks or vaccines. Individuals will be able to visit a website and order free tests, once the site is up. We hope that will be very soon, and that it will work without the glitches that can plague a heavily used site.

The need is already urgent, however. People in Connecticut can expect to hear details as soon as Wednesday afternoon for home tests to get to health districts and then out to the municipalities for distribution to their residents. That will be a relief from sold-out test kits and shortages of testing slots.

Some experts say the arrival of the more contagious but less deadly omicron variant is an example of how a viral disease can develop different phases, and that this could be the signal that COVID is settling in as a permanent but manageable fact of life. If and until that happens, however, there are lives that need to be saved by science and medicine, schools that needs to stay open for students, and an economy that doesn't need another shutdown. We know what to do, the supplies are coming, and it's up to everyone — not just the state — to do our best.

The Day editorial board meets with political, business and community leaders to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Timothy Dwyer, Executive Editor Izaskun E. Larraneta, Owen Poole, copy editor, and Lisa McGinley, retired deputy managing editor. The board operates independently from The Day newsroom.