Here in the United States, the average number of daily coronavirus infections is poised to surpass last winter’s record high, with nearly a quarter-million new cases being reported each day. At the White House, President Biden met virtually with some of the nation’s governors Monday, warning the Omicron surge threatens to bring shortages of hospital beds and ventilators. Biden defended his administration’s moves to supply U.S. households with coronavirus test kits but said more needed to be done.

President Joe Biden: “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.”