President Biden delivered remarks Tuesday on the Omicron-led COVID-19 surge tearing its way through the country, and appeared to draw a line in the sand regarding the issue likely on most parents' minds.
"We have no reason to think at this point that Omicron is worse for children than previous variants," Biden said. "We know that our kids can be safe when in school ... that's why I believe schools should remain open."
At the same time, Biden urged parents to vaccinate their kids where eligible, and to vaccinate themselves if they hadn't already, saying, "This continues to be a pandemic of the unvaccinated, so we've got to make more progress."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The president also on Tuesday announced the federal government is doubling its order of Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral pill "from 10 million to 20 million treatment courses to be delivered in the months ahead." While "this is the estimate we need right now," Biden added, he cautioned that "we may need even more."
As for the "frustrating" nationwide COVID testing shortage, Biden assured Americans that he too is angered, "but we're making improvements."
"With more capacity for in-person tests," the president noted, "we should see waiting lines shorten and more appointments freed up."
-
Farage’s £9m windfall: will it smooth his path to power?In Depth The record donation has come amidst rumours of collaboration with the Conservatives and allegations of racism in Farage's school days
-
The issue dividing Israel: ultra-Orthodox draft dodgersIn the Spotlight A new bill has solidified the community’s ‘draft evasion’ stance, with this issue becoming the country’s ‘greatest internal security threat’
-
Codeword: December 13, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
