Take residence COVID-19 self testing kits offered by the District of Columbia authorities, which gives metropolis residents 4 free take residence assessments per day, are seen on this illustration taken January 11, 2022.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
Individuals on Tuesday began putting orders totally free Covid assessments promised by the Biden administration after the federal authorities rolled out the web site a day sooner than anticipated — with some complaining on social media that they have been blocked from ordering their very own provides.
White Home press secretary Jen Psaki stated the web site, covidtests.gov, is in its testing part and can formally launch Wednesday morning. Orders positioned through the web site’s testing part Tuesday are legitimate and shall be shipped, White Home spokesman Kevin Munoz informed CNBC.
Each family is proscribed to 4 assessments primarily based on residential tackle. The White Home stated final week it capped the variety of assessments individuals can order to make sure broad entry to this system.
Assessments will be ordered right here: https://www.covidtests.gov/
After clicking on “order free at-home tests,” the web site redirects prospects to a Postal Service order kind, the place you submit your title and tackle earlier than trying out.
The Postal Service will ship the assessments 7 to 12 days after orders are positioned, in accordance the Biden administration. The web site on Tuesday stated orders would begin transport on the finish of the month.
Whereas some prospects stated the web site was easy and straightforward to make use of, others – significantly individuals who stay in residence buildings – reported issues in social media posts on Tuesday.
“Each web site launch in our view comes with threat,” Psaki informed reporters throughout a White Home briefing Tuesday. “We won’t assure there will not be a bug or two. However the perfect tech groups throughout the administration and the Postal Service are working exhausting to make this successful,” she stated.
The White Home launched the web site after a public outcry over widespread testing shortages through the busy vacation journey season because the extremely contagious omicron Covid variant swept the nation. Pharmacies massive and small struggled to maintain at-home assessments in inventory as demand out of the blue surged.
President Joe Biden stated the administration is procuring a complete of 1 billion at-home assessments to distribute to Individuals totally free. The Protection Division is awarding contracts for the assessments in coordination with the Well being and Human Companies Division.
