Biden promised to 'shut down' COVID, but omicron variant poses new challenge for admin

The new COVID-19 omicron variant is posing new risks for the American people as President Biden and his administration attempt to control the spread of a virus he vowed to "shut down" during the 2020 campaign.

The omicron variant, according to World Health Organization (WHO) officials, has a large number of mutations, "some of which are concerning."

On Friday, Biden restricted travel from South Africa and seven other countries over concerns of the "heavily mutated" variant, which has been identified in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.

Earlier this week, prior to the implementation of the travel ban, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain boastfully touted Biden's handling of the pandemic, telling anyone who "wants to have a debate about COVID" to "bring it on."

"Let's be clear: the day we got here, 4000 people a day were dying and one percent of Americans were vaccinated. Today, deaths are down 75 percent, and almost 200 million Americans are fully vax'ed," he said in a tweet. "We still have a LOT of work to do."

"But if anyone wants to have a debate about COVID, bring it on," Klain added.

According to Biden, he is taking advice on how to deal with the omicron variant from Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which recommended the newly established travel restrictions.

Biden, who was extremely critical of Trump's travel restrictions into the United States due to fears over coronavirus, once claimed America "sho... (Read more)

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