Americans will be able to order free at-home COVID-19 tests from the U.S. government beginning next week.
The White House on Friday announced that starting on Jan. 19, every American home can order four free at-home COVID-19 tests via a newly-launched website, COVIDtests.gov. There won't be any shipping costs, and entering a credit card won't be necessary to order the tests, the website said.
"To order their tests, the only two things people will need are their name and residential mailing address," the White House said. "Tests will typically ship through the mail within 7-12 days of ordering, and be delivered First Class through the U.S. Postal Service."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The White House also said that the administration would be launching a call line to "help those unable to access the website to place orders."
The launch of the website comes after President Biden announced that his administration had purchased an additional 500 million COVID-19 tests amid concern and criticism that they were not more readily available amid a surge in cases sparked by the Omicron variant. In December, when asked why the Biden administration doesn't give free COVID-19 tests to all Americans, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, "Should we just send one to every American? Then what happens if every American has one test? How much does that cost?"
-
Political cartoons for October 25Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include hospital bill trauma, Independence Day, and more
-
Roasted squash and apple soup recipeThe Week Recommends Autumnal soup is full of warming and hearty flavours
-
Ukraine: Donald Trump pivots againIn the Spotlight US president apparently warned Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Vladimir Putin’s terms or face destruction during fractious face-to-face
-
FDA OKs generic abortion pill, riling the rightSpeed Read The drug in question is a generic version of mifepristone, used to carry out two-thirds of US abortions
-
The new Stratus Covid strain – and why it’s on the riseThe Explainer ‘No evidence’ new variant is more dangerous or that vaccines won’t work against it, say UK health experts
-
RFK Jr. vaccine panel advises restricting MMRV shotSpeed Read The committee voted to restrict access to a childhood vaccine against chickenpox
-
Texas declares end to measles outbreakSpeed Read The vaccine-preventable disease is still spreading in neighboring states, Mexico and Canada
-
RFK Jr. shuts down mRNA vaccine funding at agencySpeed Read The decision canceled or modified 22 projects, primarily for work on vaccines and therapeutics for respiratory viruses
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year highSpeed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, changeSpeed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panelspeed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
