The US launches free Covid test orders, as Biden boosts tools to manage the “new normal”
![[Chip Somodevilla / Staff via Getty Images]](https://cdn.robinhood.com/static_content/mwphzyq69oso/en-US/assets/files/2HwilSxgKLVY6Tb9qf3IGp_1_GettyImages-1309114753.jpg)
Testing, testing... 1, 2, 3, 4. Americans can now order four free at-home Covid tests per household, courtesy of Uncle Sam. The ordering website rolled out Tuesday and is surprisingly easy to use: Click the big "order free at-home tests" button, type your name and address, and submit. USPS is shipping all orders, which should arrive in 7 to 12 days.
- Good execution: Government sites aren't known for being sleek. But apart from a few hiccups, covidtests.gov appears to be running smoothly.
- Not-so-good timing: Ideally the site would’ve launched before the holiday Omicron surge, but the Biden admin had rejected an October proposal for free tests. The US is now logging record Covid cases, with Omicron making up nearly all infections.
N-95 problems… and a test is one. Many Americans had trouble getting tested over the holidays. Think: hours-long lines at free sites and sold-out kits. Meanwhile, retailers like Walgreens and Walmart and diagnostic companies like Abbott and Labcorp raked in billions. But more help is coming:
- Tests: Private insurers are now required to reimburse up to eight home Covid tests/month.
- Masks: The US will distribute 400M free N-95 masks at health centers and pharmacies starting next week.
- Antivirals: The Biden admin purchased 20M courses of Pfizer’s newly authorized Covid pill, which the pharma giant said was effective at treating Omicron in tests.
The “new normal” still isn’t normal… yet. At a press conference marking Year 1 in office, President Biden said yesterday that the US wouldn’t go back to lockdowns or closed schools. He said we now have the tools for a future where Covid isn’t a crisis. Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested that Omicron — already peaking in some states — could mark the end of Covid’s pandemic phase. Still, economists cut the US’s annual growth outlook as Omicron exacerbates shortages and inflation.