Take dwelling COVID-19 self testing kits offered by the District of Columbia authorities, which supplies metropolis residents 4 free take dwelling assessments per day, are seen on this illustration taken January 11, 2022.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
Americans on Tuesday began inserting 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 had been blocked from ordering the assessments.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki mentioned the web site, covidtests.gov, is in its testing part and can formally launch Wednesday morning. Orders positioned throughout the web site’s testing part Tuesday are legitimate and might be shipped, White House spokesman Kevin Munoz instructed CNBC.
Every family, based mostly on residential handle, is proscribed to 4 assessments. The White House mentioned final week it capped the variety of assessments individuals can order to make sure broad entry to this system.
Tests might be ordered right here: https://www.covidtests.gov/
After a person clicks on “order free at-home assessments,” the web site redirects the person to a Postal Service order kind, the place they submit a reputation and handle earlier than trying out.
The Postal Service will ship the assessments 7 to 12 days after orders are positioned, in response to the Biden administration. The web site on Tuesday mentioned orders would begin transport on the finish of the month.
While some customers mentioned the web site was easy and simple to make use of, others — significantly individuals who dwell in condominium buildings — reported issues in social media posts on Tuesday.
“Every web site launch, in our view, comes with threat,” Psaki instructed reporters throughout a White House briefing Tuesday. “We cannot assure there will not be a bug or two. But the very best tech groups throughout the administration and the Postal Service are working arduous to make this successful,” she mentioned.
The White House launched the web site after a public outcry over widespread testing shortages throughout the busy vacation journey season because the extremely contagious Covid omicron variant swept the nation. Pharmacies giant and small struggled to maintain at-home assessments in inventory as demand all of a sudden surged.
President Joe Biden mentioned the administration is procuring a complete of 1 billion at-home assessments to distribute to Americans totally free. The Defense Department is awarding contracts for the assessments in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services.
