The crisis in COVID-19 testing capacity is a problem facing President Joe Biden. Biden admits it is not enough, while also being criticized for the fact that his plans to distribute 500 million COVID-19 tests at no cost to the general public are too small and too late.
As the nation’s shortage could fuel further transmission, many Americans spent their holiday weekends waiting in line for PCR testing or scouring the shelves for quick kits at home.
On Monday, Biden acknowledged the chaotic scenes as Americans desperately sought out testing amid the case surge and as they looked to safely gather over the holiday.
Biden said that he was shocked at the difficulty of some people passing the test. He spoke in an online meeting with governors.
It’s just not enough. Evidently, it’s not enough. We would have gone faster, if we had known,” the president stated.
In stark contrast, the US crisis is a test of the UK’s rapid kit availability. These kits are available for free in any UK pharmacy and come in packs five. They are available for anyone to request and they can be returned as often as needed.
The UK now performs 22.3 COVID testing per 1000 people each day. This is five times higher than the US rate at 4.5. However, Omicron has increased the demand for British COVID testing.
Surprisingly, Biden rejected a plan in October to replicate the UK and provide 732 million test results per month for average Americans, according to Vanity Fair.
New York City witnessed desperate scenes on Christmas Eve when people climbed over one another to obtain free test kits.
Amazing photos reveal how the police were able to maintain order at Flatbush Avenue’s city-sponsored truck on Friday while officials gave out 2000 free Binax COVID home test kits.
Many frustrated residents were seen holding out their hands in hopes that they would be able to receive one of these home testing children. Unfortunately, the US was slow in approving the request and the kids are currently in short supply due to the new wave of the virus.
At testing centers, lines can last up to six hours. Some people are also required to wait longer than the 24-48 hours advertised for results. It has ruined Christmas plans for many.
As the Omicron variant of the virus takes hold, the number of Covid cases has increased by two-fold in the United States. Every day, an average of 235,269 Americans test positive for the virus. This is a 99% increase in the two previous weeks.
Johns Hopkins University reports that 512 553 cases have been reported to the U.S. since Monday. This large number is due to a long-running buildup of cases that were not reported over Christmas, which was finally logged to begin the week.
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Five times as many COVID tests are performed in the UK than it is in America, which averages 22.3 per 1,000 people each day.
In stark contrast, the US crisis is a test of the UK’s rapid kit availability. These kits are available for free in any UK pharmacy and come in packs five. Anyone can request the kits and return them as often as needed. The US is also behind Australia, France, Italy and Israel in testing
In per capita testing, the US trails key allies like Australia and UK.
In the face of criticism from his administration for not securing adequate supplies, President Joe Biden has been grappling with an acute shortage in COVID-19 test capacity.
Biden spoke Monday about his plan for 500 million quick tests to be made available free of charge to Americans starting next month via a still-to-be developed website.
Critics question whether the plans to offer free testing should have been drawn up sooner, just as in the UK and European Union.
Stephen Collison, a CNN White House reporter, wrote in a commentary that the White House was being forced to catch up following several waves of a pandemic “uncannily able” to exploit political divisions, slow-moving bureaucracy, and the impatience, weariness, of the public, with the crisis about to enter its third.
“Such remarks by the President while being candid are unlikely to increase public confidence in the White House, which vowed that COVID-19 would be shut down, but sometimes seems to underestimate the strength of the virus’s persistence and the size of the challenge,” he said.
Biden pledged, from the beginning, to increase testing capacities, raising concerns about missing opportunities to reduce the shortage.
Biden told Americans in September that $2B would be spent on rapid testing for distribution. It was only two months before.
Biden began highlighting the importance for expanding COVID access since his second day as an official. Even citing concerns over new variants, this has raised questions about whether his administration wasn’t more aggressive.
There was a large line for Covid-19 kits at home in Lower Manhattan, December 23, 2021. A national shortage of testing kits is being caused by the Omicron wave.
The shelf of Manhattan’s drugstore displays a COVID-19 take-home testing kit on 22 December. Due to a lack of such tests, it has become difficult for some people to obtain them.
One city worker, dressed in blue gloves and preparing for the distribution of the test results as New Yorkers surround it during an unprecedented surge in COVID cases.
At testing centers, lines of as long as six hours were reported. Many people who had been tested for HIV or AIDS have also experienced delays of days, sometimes up to 6 hours, which has ruined Christmas plans.
Biden’s plan for at-home free testing won’t likely be implemented for many weeks. Experts predict holiday travel and gatherings to supercharge Omicron surges to new heights.
Details are still being finalized by the administration, so it is not certain that all of these tests have been transferred to government.
Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary, stated last week that both the Defense and Health and Human Services had ‘executed on what’s known as an accelerated emergency contractual’ in order to get the test.
A White House official said the new tests would come from new manufacturing capacity and wouldn´t interfere with existing supply chains.
Psaki indicated that Americans will use a new website from the government to request kits, however the site won’t work until after all the test kits are delivered.
According to her, the procedure was designed to prevent confusion and avoid causing more inconvenience for the general public. However, anyone who would like a test kits could log onto the website and ask for one.
Psaki stated that the site would not be up until tests are available.
While the cost is not known, the White House indicated that it will be paid with the money in the Coronavirus Relief Act ($1.9 trillion) Biden passed into law.
Biden announced Monday that his administration is using the Defense Production Act for at-home manufacturing, and making it easier for people to search the Google Search engine for a testing site near them.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, stated that it is reducing the time for Americans suffering from COVID-19 to just five days. This follows a previous recommendation of 10 days.
U.S. officials and the state departments are anticipating a surge in cases after Christmas, as hospitalizations continue to rise and New Year festivities still ahead.
Anthony Fauci (the top U.S. official in infectious diseases) urged Americans to stay away from large New Years’ gatherings.
The Christmas weekend saw a surge in cases that slowed air travel. Thousands of flights were cancelled as crews became infected. As the virus spread, other plans were canceled due to curtailed cruises or inaccessible testing.
The fourth day in a row of cancellations by U.S. airlines was Monday. Stocks in travel-related industries fell.
According to Reuters, over the past seven days the number of cases rose 55 percent, to more than 205,000 per day.
In the same period, 3 percent more COVID patients were hospitalized. The December average for new patients has increased by 143 per cent, while hospitalizations have climbed 31%.
Biden advised governors that the surge in vaccines would likely overwhelm hospitals and put a strain on staff, equipment, and personnel, especially in rural areas.
A reporter asked him whether he supported a mandated vaccine for domestic travel. This was another option that officials discussed.
Biden left Washington to return home to Delaware. He pledged his cooperation and stated that he would offer any additional resources.
He said, “They want to see what we believe is going to occur.”
Officials have said that anyone who is vaccinated on Friday can gather with family members, while larger parties are more dangerous.
“When we’re talking about New Year’s Eve parties… It is strongly advised that you stay clear of this party for the year. You can do it in the future, but not right now,” Fauci, Biden’s chief physician adviser, stated to CNN.
He said that ‘We still need to exercise extreme caution’ on MSNBC.
Biden made last week’s announcement of reinforcements for hospitals and testing. But some experts in healthcare say this is too little.
Peter Hotez is the dean of Baylor College of Medicine’s National School of Tropical Medicine. He said that problems are exacerbated due to shortages of healthcare workers and testing.
He stated that when you combine all these factors together, we are in a very serious situation.