The Biden administration has signed its first contract with a Covid-19 test manufacturer as part of President Biden's efforts to distribute half a billion free rapid tests throughout the country, a White House official confirms to CNN.
The Department of Defense awarded a $51 million contract to Goldbelt Security, LLC,"for delivery of over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits." With this contract, the administration is purchasing existing tests that the company has, according to a White House official. The administration plans to sign other contracts for manufacturing.Officials have offered few details since Biden announced the endeavor to send free test kits amid a nationwide shortage and surge in new cases.
"There's not a day that goes by that I don't leave this podium and wish I would have said something with greater context or a more precision or additional information," Psaki said.Last week, Biden -- speaking to the nation's governors -- conceded the steps he took earlier this year to scale up testing capacity for Covid-19 weren't enough to meet demand as a wave driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant crashed across the country."It's not enough.
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