Biden needs to boost his pandemic approvals. Two new White House initiatives could help

By this summer, a solid majority of voters must once again have the sense that Biden has a steady hand on the pandemic and that vaccines/tests/masks and other tools to manage COVID-19 have become easily accessible to anyone who wants them.

Two new Biden administration initiatives could help nudge voters back in that direction: mailing free at-home COVID-19 tests to households that want them and making free N95 masks available to everyone.

A new Axios/Ipsos poll found that both initiatives had the support of 84% of Americans, with just 14% opposition. Even 65% of the unvaccinated favored the administration mailing free at-home tests to those who want them. The survey also showed that 44% of Americans have already ordered a free test despite the policy being implemented just over a week ago.

That’s a good start to President Biden recapturing the narrative on combatting the coronavirus. According to Civiqs tracking, 61% of registered voters currently say they are unsatisfied with the U.S. government’s response to the pandemic—an all-time high during Biden’s tenure.

To be sure, none of this current COVID-19 polling is helped by the lingering effects of omicron’s grip on the nation. But Americans need to see the federal government implementing policies that instill confidence that the Biden administration is engaged and taking tangible action.