COVID test lines backed up for miles as Biden falls down on response: ‘Lack of federal prioritization’
Coronavirus testing sites have been overwhelmed after the holidays amid a surge in cases
Americans across the nation have been waiting for hours in lines to take COVID-19 tests after the Christmas holiday as cases surge and rapid tests disappear from store shelves.
President Biden alluded to the alarmingly long lines this week but said his administration couldn’t have seen the COVID-19 surge coming.
“Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do, and we’re doing it,” Biden said on a call with governors. “But it’s not enough. It’s clearly not enough. If I had — we had known, we would have gone harder, quicker if we could have.”
In the same speech, Biden told the nation’s governors that there is “no federal solution” to the pandemic.
“There is no federal solution. This gets solved at the state level,” Biden said.
Dr. Jerome Adams, the surgeon general in the Trump administration, said that the need for more testing should have been anticipated, citing a report last week that the Biden Administration rejected a proposal in October to ramp up testing ahead of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“It comes down to a lack of federal prioritization. There’s no other way to put it… It’s frustrating when you hear President Biden and Vice President Harris say on the record, ‘We didn’t see this coming. No one could have seen this coming,’” Adams told Fox News Digital.
“Well, we always knew that in the holiday season, you’re going to see a surge. We always knew that delta, after it hit India and the UK, was going to come hit us. So this reflects a failure of the administration to really take this seriously and to prioritize the virus the way they told us they would.”
Biden denied this week that his administration rejected the October proposal to increase testing capacity.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration can’t deny the reality on the ground as Americans spend valuable time waiting for tests.
The Southside Health Center is just about to resume COVID testing/vaccinating after the long holiday weekend. I’ve counted more than 50 cars in line. Most if not all are here for a test. pic.twitter.com/XmFGf8KKAG
— Hannah Hilyard WISN (@Hannah_WISN) December 27, 2021
The Biden administration announced a plan last week to purchase 500 million at-home rapid tests and distribute them for free, but White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients said Wednesday that the first shipments won’t go out for days, if not weeks.
“Companies are already submitting information, and we expect the contract to be completed late next week. That means that the first deliveries for manufacturers will start in January,” Zients said during a press conference.
“We’re actively working to finalize that distribution mechanism, which includes a website where people will be able to order tests for free. And we’ll share more details in the weeks ahead — days and weeks ahead.”