Exclusive: Biden directs U.S. to procure 500 million more COVID tests to meet demand – Reuters

Exclusive: Biden directs U.S. to procure 500 million more COVID tests to meet demand – Reuters

WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden said on Thursday he is directing the U.S. government to procure an additional 500 million COVID-19 tests to help meet demand across the country amid the spread of the Omicron variant.

The order comes on top of another 500 million tests that the White House pledged before the Christmas holiday would be available to Americans this month.

"Today I'm directing my team to procure ... an additional 500 million more tests to distribute for free," Biden said ahead of a briefing from advisers.