Today, the Biden Administration is announcing that COVIDTests.gov is now open for a third round of ordering. U.S. households are now be able to order an additional eight free at-home tests at COVIDTests.gov—bringing the total number of free tests available to each household since the start of the program to 16. As the highly transmissible subvariants of Omicron drive a rise in cases in parts of the country, free and accessible tests will help slow the spread of the virus.
In January 2022, President Biden committed to making one billion at-home tests available to the American people for free, including half-a-billion available for ordering at COVIDTests.gov. Since then, over 70 million households have visited COVIDTests.gov to order at-home tests to be mailed directly to them. To date, the Administration has delivered approximately 350 million free tests to mailboxes and doorsteps across the country, in U.S. territories, and at overseas military bases, with most tests delivered by the U.S. Postal Service within 48 hours of shipping. The third round of tests available were purchased by the federal government earlier this year with funding from the American Rescue Plan.
People who have difficulty accessing the internet or need additional support placing an order can call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489) to get help in English, Spanish, and more than 150 other languages—8am to midnight ET, 7 days a week. For more information, people can visit: https://www.covid.gov/tests/faq.
Since January 2021, the Biden Administration has taken significant action and invested resources provided by Congress to dramatically increase domestic COVID-19 testing manufacturing, the number of tests authorized for use in the U.S., and the number of places where Americans can get a test, as well as to decrease costs for consumers and increase access to free tests.
COVID-19 testing is a critical tool to help mitigate the spread of the virus, which is why maintaining domestic testing capacity is an essential component of the President’s National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan.
Due to Congress’s failure to provide additional funding for the nation’s COVID-19 response, the Administration cannot continue making the types of federal investments needed to sustain domestic testing manufacturing capacity, and this may jeopardize the federal government’s ability to provide free tests moving forward. Today’s announcement underscores the Administration’s commitment to doing everything in our power to ensure the American people have the lifesaving tools they need—so they are prepared for whatever comes. Congress must step up and act as well.
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Fact Sheet: The Biden Administration Announces Americans Can Order Additional Free At-Home, Rapid COVID-19 Tests at COVIDTests.gov - The White House
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