US: Joe Biden govt to provide free COVID testing kit to every American at home

The United States' (US) Joe Biden administration will create a website on where Americans can obtain up to four free COVID-19 testing kits per person, according to a statement released by the White House on Friday, January 14. According to the announcement, the Biden administration is purchasing one billion tests to give away for free to Americans.

The tests, will be available at COVIDTest.gov and mailed to homes within 7-12 days through the US Postal Service. In response to a statewide shortage of COVID-19 tests as the number of cases in the United States rises, President Joe Biden stated earlier this week that the administration would raise its order to 1 billion at-home COVID-19 tests. According to officials, the second batch of testing kits will also be supplied for free via the website.

White House plans to open call line to assist people who are unable to access website

After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came under fire for issuing confusing guidance on isolation, a group of Biden's former health advisers published a series of articles calling for the administration to change its approach to combating COVID-19 and urging Americans to learn to live with the virus. According to the statement, the White House plans to open a call line to assist people who are unable to access the website in placing purchases, as well as collaborate with national and local community organisations to meet demands from the hardest-hit and most-at-risk populations.

Aside from the free tests offered on the internet, from Saturday, private health insurers will be forced to fund up to eight at-home tests each month for anyone covered by their insurance plans. Americans will have the option of receiving free tests through their insurance or submitting receipts for compensation. The president is also slated to make an announcement next week about actions he's taking to make high-quality masks available for free, but the specifics of how they'll be distributed are still unknown, according to US media reports.

The current White House push comes as COVID-19-related hospitalizations are breaking records, with some hospitals delaying elective surgeries and states deploying National Guard members to health-care institutions. To combat an increase of COVID-19 cases, the White House is also sending military medical teams to New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, Michigan, and New Mexico. According to a USA TODAY review of data given by the Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday, about one in five hospitals reported "serious staff shortages." One out of every four people expects serious shortages in the coming week.

(With inputs from agencies)

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