The coronavirus is not going away, despite the fact that the vast majority of Americans are fully vaccinated against it.
The highly-contagious omicron variant is spreading rapidly and overwhelming hospitals.
With the virus ripping through the population, many are looking for ways to get tested, but reliable tests are neither free nor easy to find in some parts of the country.
In response to this, the federal government has decided to launch a website where anyone can order a free COVID-19 test.
Read more below.
Free COVID-19 Tests
Free tests are available at covidtests.gov.
The website is simple and easy to use — all one needs to do is click the "Order Free At-Home Tests" button, put in their information, and tests will be delivered to their address.
"A positive at-home test result means that the test found the virus, and you very likely have COVID-19," the site says, noting that those who test positive should follow CDC guidelines.
And those who test negative, "should test again within a few days with at least 24 hours between tests."
Biden Administration
President Joe Biden‘s administration has purchased one billion tests to give to Americans for free, according to the White House.
"This program will ensure that Americans have at-home, rapid COVID-19 tests available in the weeks and months ahead — in addition to the number of other ways they can get tested," the White House said, noting that this initiative is part of a broader effort to distribute as many tests as possible as the number of omicron cases surges across the nation.
Issues
But there are still some issues with the website, according to CNN.
Some have encountered an unusual problem, with the site saying that tests were already ordered for their addresses, even though they were not.
Others received a message that said their tests would begin shipping in "late January" and that the USPS will only send four tests per address.
But the website was only launched on Wednesday, so it is no surprise that there are technical issues — they will presumably be solved very soon.
Free N95 Masks
The Biden administration will also distribute N95 masks for free.
Some 400 million N95 masks — which are very effective and filter 95 percent of airborne particles — will be given out to Americans across the country.
They will be made available to the public at local pharmacies and community health centers nationwide starting late next week, as reported by CBS News.
"I know we all wish that we could finally be done with wearing masks. I get it. But there is — they’re a really important tool to stop the spread, especially of a highly transmittable Omicron variant," the president recently said.
]]>The Inquisitr
