U.S. govt to suspend free COVID-19 test orders next week
2022.08.29 18:58
A nasal swab is tested in a COVID-19 self testing kit provided by the District of Columbia government, which provides city residents four free take home tests per day, in this illustration taken January 11, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Illustration
(Reuters) – Starting next week, Americans will not be able to order free at-home COVID tests from a website set up by the U.S. government due to limited supply.
The COVIDTests.gov website, set up amid the Omicron variant surge, helped U.S. households secure COVID tests at no cost.
President Joe Biden in January pledged to procure 1 billion free tests for Americans, including 500 million available through the website.
However, ordering through the program will be suspended on Sept. 2.
According to a notification on the website, the decision was made as “Congress hasn’t provided additional funding to replenish the nation’s stockpile of tests.”
