The White House was viciously mocked over the weekend after pushing the message that unvaccinated Americans would experience a winter of "severe illness and death" due to the omicron variant of the coronavirus. 

President Biden, as well as White House COVID response coordinator Jeff Zients, each pushed the messaging last week, with the former issuing the stark and gloomy warning to Americans following a Thursday White House briefing on the pandemic.

"I want to send a direct message to the American people: Due to the steps we've taken, omicron has not yet spread as fast as it would have otherwise done," Biden said.

"But it's here now, and it's spreading, and it's going to increase ... We are looking at a winter of severe illness and death for the unvaccinated – for themselves, their families and the hospitals they'll soon overwhelm," he added. "But there's good news: If you're vaccinated, and you have your booster shot, you're protected from severe illness and death."

Zients repeated the warning the following day while giving an update from the COVID response team.