President Joe Biden admitted his administration fell short on supplying the U.S. with coronavirus tests, but during his Wednesday press conference said he believed the pandemic was getting better.
‘Should we have done more testing earlier, yes,’ the president said at the top of the press conference, marking the end of his first year in office. ‘But we’re doing more now. We’ve gone from zero at-home tests a year ago to 375 million tests on the market in just this month.’
The Omicron surge of COVID-19 hit the United States in the run-up to the December holidays, leading to a widespread coronavirus testing shortage.
President Joe Biden admitted his administration fell short on supplying the U.S. with coronavirus tests, but during his Wednesday press conference said he believed the pandemic was getting better
This week, the administration started allowing Americans to sign up for four free COVID tests via the U.S. Postal Service’s website.
The tests are due in homes at the end of the month.
‘Some people may call what’s happening right now the new normal. I call it a job not yet finished,’ the president continued. ‘It will get better. We’re moving toward a time when COVID-19 won’t disrupt our daily lives.’
‘We’re not there yet, but we will get there,’ the president added.
The administration’s COVID response came up throughout the press conference, with Biden explaining why no heads have rolled over confusing messaging.
He said COVID guidelines on masking and testing had been confusing ‘because the scientists are learning more.’
He also pointed out that his medical experts are scientists not communications people.
‘This is a brand new virus, a brand new phenomenon,’ the president said. ‘This is an unfolding story.’
When asked to describe what COVID looked like a year from now, the president used the question as an opportunity to tout vaccines.
‘Well the answer is I hope the new normal will be that we don’t still have 30-some million people not vaccinated,’ Biden said.
He also pointed to more widespread use of therapeutics, which should prevent more Americans from getting more severe COVID disease, and said he hoped other countries, like the U.S., would share their vaccine reserves with other parts of the world.
