Biden ignores questions about COVID test scarcity, says ‘just find out where they are’

President Biden ignored questions Tuesday about long lines for COVID-19 tests and the status of his plan to mass-mail 500 million at-home rapid test kits — after he encouraged Americans to “just find out where they are.”

“What about the free COVID tests going out to Americans? When will they get those COVID tests?” a female reporter asked Biden after he delivered remarks about a record-smashing surge of coronavirus cases.

“People are still standing in line a mile away from the White House to get a COVID test,” the reporter added.

“Sir, when should we expect the tests?” a male reporter shouted at the president.

Biden didn’t answer any questions at his only public event of the day as his press aides shooed reporters away from a stage decorated to resemble the White House in the next-door Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

Retailers such as CVS Pharmacy have sold out of test kits at some locations and massive lines have formed at official test sites due to the more contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19, forcing FEMA to open federally run testing sites in hard-hit areas.

Biden focused his remarks on slamming the 14.5 percent of US adults who have resisted vaccination while trying to reassure the public that in-demand test kits were coming.

“Drugstores and online websites are restocking … more tests are available or are going to continue to become available,” Biden said. “Next week, our requirement that your insurance company reimburse you for at-home tests takes effect … So if you’re insured, you can buy the test and get paid for it.”

“Many states and local governments and health care providers are passing out free at-home tests that you can pick up,” the president added. “Just find out where they are.”

The White House reportedly rejected an expert plan in October to mass-distribute at-home rapid tests ahead of a possible holiday surge in COVID-19 cases. But Biden belatedly embraced the idea late last month as cases increased.

“Finally, as I announced recently, the federal government is launching a website this month, where you can get tests shipped to your home for free upon your request,” Biden said Tuesday before receiving a non-public briefing from his chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.

White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said last week that the mass-mailing program’s first contracts won’t be signed until late this week. It’s still unclear when a government website will be launched for people to request the rapid tests, how many test kits households will be able to request at a time, or when they will be mailed.

Federal statistics on new COVID-19 cases haven’t been updated since last week due to the New Year’s holiday. The most recent date for which the CDC published data — Dec. 29 — had a record-smashing 486,428 new diagnosed cases. The New York Times, which compiles its own case data, said more than 1 million Americans tested positive for the virus on Monday.

The Omicron variant has evaded vaccines to a greater extent than past mutations and even people who received a third “booster” shot have fallen ill — though preliminary data indicate Omicron symptoms may be less severe.

But at the same time, hospitalization rates are up sharply in New York and other hard-hit areas.

The pointed questions for Biden came despite the White House press office continuing a murky practice of pre-screening journalists allowed within earshot of Biden. The criteria for selection remains a mystery to White House reporters, who have been given a variety of conflicting explanations. It’s widely believed to be a tactic to shape the variety of questions that get asked.

Biden declined to take questions just a day after deflecting another coronavirus inquiry by telling a journalist, “I’ll be talking to you about that later.”

Republican National Committee Chairman Ronna Romney McDaniel quickly slammed Biden in a statemet.

“Joe Biden campaigned on shutting down the virus — he failed,” McDaniel said. “After forcing Americans out of jobs with authoritarian mandates, crushing small businesses, restricting the accessibility of therapeutics, failing to deliver tests, and closing schools for children, Biden has now waved the white flag on fighting COVID. The bottom line: Joe Biden does not care about the hurt he’s caused so many Americans.”

Vanity Fair reported last month that experts from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Rockefeller Foundation, the COVID Collaborative and other groups pitched a 10-page plan to White House officials on Oct. 22 that called for the production of 732 million tests per month for a “Testing Surge To Prevent [a] Holiday COVID surge.” The plan even called for “Every American Household to Receive Free Rapid Tests for the Holidays/New Year.” 

Biden denied spiking the idea, telling The Post last week, “We didn’t reject it” as he departed for a vacation in Delaware. A White House spokesman later claimed Biden didn’t “reject” the plan to distribute free tests to households before the holidays because it is being acted upon months later.