The White House announced that starting next month, President Biden will ship 500 million free at-home COVID tests to the American people.
The White House announced in a fact sheet provided to PoliticusUSA:
- : Today, the President is announcing his Administration will purchase a half-billion at-home, rapid tests this winter to be distributed for free to Americans who want them, with the initial delivery starting in January 2022. The Administration will stand up a website where Americans can go to get at-home tests delivered to their home—for free.
 - The President is pledging to continue using the Defense Production Act (DPA) and other authorities to make sure the U.S. is producing as many tests as quickly as possible. Through the President’s aggressive actions this summer, including use of the DPA, the Administration has already quadrupled the monthly supply of at-home, rapid tests in the U.S. The Administration will continue to use the DPA to accelerate production; just in the last week, the Administration used DPA to ensure that two testing manufacturers have the raw materials and equipment they need to produce as many tests as they can—enabling one company to double its production of lab-based tests, and another to rapidly to scale up production of new over-the-counter and point-of-care tests.
 This is excellent news for people who want a COVID test but can’t get one right now due to high demand. The problem is that many of the people who want to be tested appear to already be vaccinated. The COVID testing shortage mostly seems to be occurring in urban areas with high vaccination rates.
In the places where infection rates are surging, especially in rural areas where there are low vaccination rates, at-home COVID tests are available.
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Biden’s competence and leadership on the pandemic should not be overlooked, but he can only provide the resources. He can’t force people to save their own lives and the lives of others by using them.
The Republican horses are being led to the water that could save their lives, but thanks to Fox News and other right-wingers who politicize the pandemic, they are refusing to drink.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
