All Americans will be able to order up to four free at-home rapid COVID-19 tests through a new website starting on Jan. 19, marking the latest effort by the federal government to combat the Omicron variant.
Delivery of the tests ordered through the new website—http://COVIDTests.gov—is expected to take seven to 12 days. To order tests, users will need to enter only their name and street address.
No time was given for when the website will start accepting orders on Jan. 19.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that Americans use an at-home test after they start having COVID-like symptoms, at least five days after coming in close contact with someone who has the virus, or before gathering indoors with people who are at risk of severe disease or who are unvaccinated.
The U.S. Postal Service will deliver the tests while the U.S. Digital Service is assisting with the website’s launch.
Getting a COVID-19 rapid antigen test in the U.S. has been extremely difficult and costly in recent weeks because of a major shortage since the Omicron variant struck this winter.
To ease the supply crunch, the COVIDtests.gov site will take orders in the coming weeks for up to 500 million at-home COVID-19 tests, which the federal government is in the process of acquiring. Officials previously procured 500 million COVID tests, bringing the total number of free tests in the U.S. during the pandemic to 1 billion.
Orders for around 420 million tests are already under contract and “tens of millions” are currently in hand, the White House said in a statement on Friday, noting “testing is an important tool to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”
The White House has also required private insurers to cover the costs of up to eight over-the-counter at-home tests monthly starting Jan. 15.
