WASHINGTON (AP) — If you logged on yesterday to the government website to get free COVID-19 tests, this isn’t news: the Biden administration site is already running. It was up yesterday, a day before it was to go live. White House press secretary Jen Psaki (SAK’-ee) says the early launch was “beta testing” with limited capacity. At the site https://www.COVIDtests.com people can order four at-home tests per residential address. The free kits will be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. It’s part of an effort to boost home testing during a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to Americans starting next week. The step comes after federal officials emphasized the masks’ better protection against the omicron variant of COVID-19 over cloth face coverings. The White House said Wednesday the masks will come from the government’s Strategic National Stockpile, which has more than 750 million of the highly protective masks on hand. The masks will be available for pickup at pharmacies and community health centers across the country. The White House says the masks will begin shipping this week for distribution starting late next week.
Photo: Elementary school teacher Carrie Landheer protests for stronger COVID-19 safety protocols outside Oakland Unified School District headquarters on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
