White House Announcement of COVID-19 Testing
White House to buy, ship 500 million rapid tests for free beginning in January
The White House will buy and distribute 500 million rapid Covid-19 tests for free beginning in January, according to Biden administration officials.
The move comes amid a wave of new cases, a large majority of which stem from the Omicron variant of the virus that causes Covid. Health officials across the country reported nearly 238,000 cases on Monday, nearing the totals recorded during the deadly surge in August and September.
The first shipment of tests will arrive at some point in January, the White House said. Americans will be able to request that rapid tests be shipped to their home, free of charge, via a new government website. The new policy of handing out free tests mirrors that of many other wealthy nations, like Germany and the United Kingdom. Few countries, however, have taken the step of mailing tests to individual homes, instead requiring that people request the kits at a pharmacy, doctor’s office, or testing site.
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