You can order free at-home COVID tests from government starting now. Here’s how

People in the United States can now start ordering free at-home, rapid COVID-19 tests from the government.

President Joe Biden’s administration is purchasing 1 billion of the tests to be made available to people in the U.S. for free as the omicron coronavirus variant — which evades COVID-19 vaccines and transmits more easily — spreads throughout the country. The first 500 million of those tests are now available online.

The website through which to order the tests was set to launch Wednesday, Jan. 19. But orders opened a day earlier than expected, on Tuesday, Jan. 18.

A White House official told Spectrum News the website went live early as a soft launch to to “address troubleshooting.”

Here’s what to know.

How to order free COVID-19 tests

The website COVIDTests.gov can be used to order the tests.

The White House said it will also launch a call line through which people who don’t have access to the website can order the tests. It had not provided a phone number for the call line as of Jan. 18.

Clicking “order free at-home tests” on the website will take users to a U.S. Postal Service website where they can place an order. The only information needed to place an order is your name and address, but users can add their email address to get updates on their order.

How many tests can be ordered?

Each household can place only one order, which includes four test kits.

Even large and multi-generational households are limited to one order per residential address, the website says.

The White House said Friday, Jan. 14, that it had 420 million tests under contract and that it will continue awarding contracts to additional manufacturers “over the coming weeks.”

But it said it’s limiting the number of tests each household can order to “ensure broad access.”

When will the tests arrive?

The tests should ship within seven to 12 days after ordering, the White House said.

Biden’s administration said it is working with the United States Postal Service to “package and deliver” the test kits to those who order them.

“All orders in the continental United States will be sent through First Class Package Service, with shipments to Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. Territories and APO/FPO/DPO addresses sent through Priority Mail,” it said.

Who can order the free tests?

Free tests are available to “every residential address” in the country, including U.S. territories and “overseas military and diplomatic addresses.”

The administration said it will prioritize orders to households that are “experiencing the highest social vulnerability and in communities that have experienced a disproportionate share of COVID-19 cases and deaths, particularly during this omicron surge.”

What kind of tests are being sent?

The tests being sent through the program are all rapid antigen tests authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. People who order them will not be able to choose which brand of test they receive.

All of the tests can be taken anywhere and provide results within 30 minutes.

Testing and omicron

Health officials have emphasized the importance of testing as a way to mitigate the spread of the omicron variant.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said those who test positive for COVID-19 and who have access to a test can take it before ending their isolation period. The agency, however, has stopped short of recommending a test before leaving isolation.

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But the CDC says to get tested at least five days after being in close contact with someone infected with COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status. If symptoms develop, get tested immediately and isolate from others.

It also says to “consider using a self-test before joining indoor gatherings” with people outside your household.

“A positive self-test result means that you have an infection and should avoid indoor gatherings to reduce the risk of spreading disease to someone else,” the CDC said. “A negative self-test result means that you may not have an infection. Repeating the test with at least 24 hours between tests will increase the confidence that you are not infected.”

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COVID-19 tests have been hard to come by following a spike in demand during the holidays and during a surge in coronavirus cases as the omicron variant spreads.

The Biden administration said Jan. 14 that it has “taken significant action to dramatically increase the nation’s overall COVID-19 testing supply.”

“This month, the number of at-home, rapid tests available to the U.S. market will rise to 375 million — in addition to the free tests available through COVIDTests.gov,” the White House said.