Biden meets with governors amid COVID-19 surge

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC) – As holiday travelers try to make their way home, COVID-19 case numbers are soaring, even if many flights are not.

The nation’s airlines canceled thousands of flights again Monday, some because of bad weather but many others because of a lack of airline staff grounded by COVID infections

As new COVID cases quickly rise across the country, the White House is trying to ramp up testing to match demand while the CDC considers new guidance to blunt the impact of Omicron on several essential industries.

President Biden assured the nation’s governors his administration is ready for the worst of the Omicron surge. “My message to the governors is simple,” Biden said. “If you need something, say something.”

But he admits to being caught flat-footed in ramping up testing before the holidays. “It’s not enough, clearly not enough,” he said. “We would have gone harder quicker if we could have.”

The White House promised 500 million at-home tests will be available by mail next month…

Some states are setting record highs for new infections, and hospital ICUs are at capacity..

Some data appears to show Omicron cases are milder, but that’s not true for everyone.

The nation’s airlines blame COVID and bad weather for thousands of flight cancellations in the days leading up to Christmas. Thousands more flights have been canceled.

The CDC is now considering cutting the mandatory isolation time for workers in some key industries who test positive to blunt the omicron impact.

NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said, “If they have an essential job, we want to get them back on that job before the 10-day period. And that’s what’s just being discussed very seriously now by the CDC.”

Last week, the CDC cut the time healthcare workers have to isolate after a positive test from 10 days to seven.

So far, the Biden administration has resisted calls to require people flying in the U.S. to be vaccinated. But Monday, the president’s top COVID advisor, Doctor Anthony Fauci, said it’s something that should be seriously considered.