What happened to the 300 million tests you promised three months ago, Joe? Biden has spent a YEAR assuring Americans he would up the U.S. capacity before the Christmas fiasco that's seen huge lines - and contract issues make the wait even longer
Biden said last night that Omicron variant caught the government by surprise
He said nobody could have seen the highly contagious new strain coming
But his own past remarks contain warnings about the possibility of new strains
On multiple occasions Biden has promised to improve testing infrastructure
That included a plan to invest $2 billion in 280 Covid rapid tests for people
It is not even known how many of Biden's newly-announced 500 million tests will be immediately available or how quickly they can be shipped out to Americans
Amazon, Walgreens, CVS imposed limits on how many tests can be purchased
That comes amid warnings that Covid could infect 140 million in the country between January and March - 60 percent of all Americans
But despite the gloom the new British studies over Omicron's severity give Biden - who has promised no lockdowns - fresh optimism
Scientists at Imperial College London found the chance of having to stay in hospital overnight 40 percent lower with Omicron rather than Delta
In South Africa, where researchers first sounded the alarm over the new strain, the surge of daily coronavirus cases is already slowing down
By Elizabeth Elkind, Politics Reporter and Ronny Reyes and Katelyn Caralle, U.S. Political Reporter For Dailymail.com and Melissa Koenig For Dailymail.Com
Published: 11:12 EST, 23 December 2021 | Updated: 13:59 EST, 23 December 2021
President Joe Biden admitted on Wednesday night that he wished his plan to send 500 million Covid-19 tests to people's homes came to him earlier - despite promising nearly three months ago to increase the supply by 'nearly 300 million.'
Just two days until Christmas, Americans nationwide are still waiting in long lines for Covid-19 tests and even longer for their results amid a massive spike in demand.
Three major studies have already confirmed the Omicron variant is noticeably milder than Delta, the previous dominant strain. In the United Kingdom, Covid patients with Omicron were 20 to 25 percent less likely to need hospitalization, according to one study. Another paper found Omicron was up to 45 percent less likely to lead to hospitalization than Delta, based on 300,000 people in England.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10339833/What-happened-280M-tests-September-Joe-timeline-Bidens-promises-COVID-testing.html
