De Blasio says NYC will ramp up testing amid COVID-19 surge and Omicron fears

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday that New York City will be opening more testing sites amid the spike in COVID-19 cases and fears of the new Omicron variant. 

With long lines at testing sites reported throughout the city, de Blasio said the "world has changed" and the demand in testing is "unlike we have ever seen before, just like we have a surge in cases just like we have never seen before."

De Blasio defended waiting weeks after Omicron was first detected to ramp up testing, saying that no knew how Omicron would spread. He called on the White House to invoke the Defense Production Act to provide more at-home tests and monoclonal antibody treatments, and called for fast-tracking Pfizer's antiviral pill.