GOP governors accuse Biden of controlling the supply of COVID treatments. The alternative could be a bidding war.
ABC News
COVID treatments like monoclonal antibodies and antiviral pills that work against omicron are in short supply. GOP governors are blaming President Joe Biden.
COVID treatments that work against the new omicron variant are in short supply, and Republican governors are accusing President Joe Biden of preventing their distribution by purchasing them in such bulk amounts that it prevents states from making their own purchases.
The alternative, though, could be a serious bidding war among states for treatments like antiviral pills and sotrovimab, the only monoclonal antibody believed to be effective against omicron. That’s what happened in the early days of the pandemic when governors fought over the purchase of ventilators, tests and masks and drove up prices.
Still, after an almost singular focus on buying vaccine doses, Biden is now under pressure to find new ways to boost production of treatments for people who become seriously ill from COVID, most of whom are unvaccinated.
"The federal government has cornered the entire market," declared Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis at a news conference Monday.