The White House on Friday said the Biden administration will launch a new website, COVIDTests.gov to allow Americans to order free at-home rapid Covid-19 tests online.
The Biden administration, according to news agency The Hill, purchased 500 million rapid tests in December last year. The White House, however, highlighted that once ordered it will take 7-10 days to reach the recipients. There is a limited number of tests American households can order. Each household can order only four tests.
The Biden administration will work with the US Postal Service (USPS). The website will go live coming Wednesday next week. Biden has also pledged to buy a total of 1 million Covid-19 rapid testing kits earlier. White House said that more will be on their way.
The move by the Biden administration, however, earned criticism from health experts who said that the administration should have thought of this earlier when people were facing test kit shortage, according to the report by The Hill. They also highlighted that the limitation of four tests per household may not be sufficient.
The US is facing a surge in Omicron cases with the nation reporting new records in the number of daily cases. The surge is also creating unease for the Biden administration which is about to complete its first year in office and as Democrats head towards the midterm polls.
The city of New York, however, has shown similar signs like South Africa and Britain, as Covid-19 cases dropped after a huge surge. The US Centers for Disease Control urged Americans to get vaccinated and use masks. It also updated its mask advisory and said that ‘ N95 and KN95 masks provide the best protection due to its filtering facepiece respirators’.
“We do encourage all Americans to wear a well-fitting mask to protect themselves and prevent the spread of Covid-19. And the recommendation is not going to change,” CDC chief Rachel Walensky was quoted as saying by The Hill.
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