Starting on January 19th, COVIDTests.gov will provide free rapid tests
The White House has announced that Americans will be able to request free COVID-19 testing via COVIDTests.gov starting on Wednesday, January 19th. This comes on the heels of President Joe Biden’s announcement in December that the federal government will set up a website to distribute 500 million tests.
You’ll only have to type in two pieces of info to get a test delivered to you – your name and address. “Within 7–12 days of ordering,” according to the White House’s release, samples of the tests would be sent out through USPS. Currently, the maximum is four tests per home address.
On Wednesday of this week, a White House official stated the site “should be online by this weekend.” COVIDTests.gov is already open, but it just displays a message saying that tests will be accessible on Wednesday, and that you do not need to provide a credit card number to access them. Technically, the government has met that deadline.
The USPS isn’t simply responsible for getting the tests to individuals. It was also selected to design a website that will have to cope with possibly millions of individuals wanting to get a test at the same time, according to Protocol. The story cites a government source who claimed that it’s “taking our website launch very seriously” and that it “didn’t start from scratch” constructing the site. The US Digital Service will also be assisting to establish the site and give support when needed, Protocol claims.
A lot of people are sceptical that the website will be able to handle the volume of traffic it will receive, given the government’s track record in launching healthcare websites. Some have also pointed out that some of the most vulnerable people may have difficulty getting online and navigating a website. You may also order testing by calling a hotline if you can’t access the website, according to a White House statement, and the government says it’ll “work with national and local community-based groups to help the nation’s hardest-hit and highest-risk populations in order to seek tests.”