Take dwelling COVID-19 self testing kits supplied by the District of Columbia authorities, which offers metropolis residents 4 free take dwelling exams per day, are seen on this illustration taken January 11, 2022.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
People on Tuesday began putting orders without cost Covid exams 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 had been blocked from ordering their very own provides.
White Home press secretary Jen Psaki mentioned 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 might be shipped, White Home spokesman Kevin Munoz advised CNBC.
Each family is proscribed to 4 exams primarily based on residential handle. The White Home mentioned final week it capped the variety of exams individuals can order to make sure broad entry to this system.
Exams will be ordered right here: https://www.covidtests.gov/
After clicking on “order free at-home exams,” the web site redirects prospects to a Postal Service order type, the place you submit your identify and handle earlier than testing.
The Postal Service will ship the exams 7 to 12 days after orders are positioned, in accordance the Biden administration. The web site on Tuesday mentioned orders would begin transport on the finish of the month.
Whereas some prospects mentioned the web site was easy and simple to make use of, others – notably individuals who stay in condo buildings – reported issues in social media posts on Tuesday.
“Each web site launch in our view comes with threat,” Psaki advised reporters throughout a White Home briefing Tuesday. “We will not assure there will not be a bug or two. However the perfect tech groups throughout the administration and the Postal Service are working laborious to make this successful,” she mentioned.
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 giant and small struggled to maintain at-home exams in inventory as demand out of the blue surged.
President Joe Biden mentioned the administration is procuring a complete of 1 billion at-home exams to distribute to People without cost. The Protection Division is awarding contracts for the exams in coordination with the Well being and Human Providers Division.
