Biden urges concern but not alarm in US as omicron rises

Biden urges concern but not alarm in US as omicron rises

FILE - People wait in line at a COVID-19 testing site in New York's Times Square on Dec. 13, 2021. The fast-moving omicron variant is complicating a key question: How does the COVID-19 pandemic end and the world co-exist with this virus? Experts agree that the coronavirus is here to stay. Ending the pandemic won't be like flipping a light switch. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is urging concern but not alarm as the United States set records for daily reported COVID-19 cases and his administration struggles to ease concerns about testing shortages. Biden spoke from the White House about the omicron variant Tuesday before a meeting with his COVID-19 response team. He wants to convey his administration’s urgency and convince wary Americans that the current situation bears little resemblance to the onset of the pandemic or last year’s deadly winter. Biden is emphasizing that vaccines, booster shots and therapeutic drugs have lessened the danger for the overwhelming majority of Americans who are fully vaccinated.

Photo: FILE – People wait in line at a COVID-19 testing site in New York’s Times Square on Dec. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)