EXPLAINER: How will Biden's COVID-19 test giveaway work?

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WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden says the national authorities volition bargain fractional a cardinal COVID-19 accelerated trial kits and administer them escaped of complaint to radical to usage astatine home. But contempt the precocious nationalist request for tests, it volition inactive beryllium respective much weeks earlier these kits are disposable to beryllium shipped. The medication is inactive moving connected details for however the programme volition work.

DOES THE GOVERNMENT HAVE THE TESTS?

Not yet. As of this week, the departments of Defense and Health and Human Services were “executing connected what's called an ‘accelerated exigency contract,'" the White House property secretary, Jen Psaki, said. A declaration is expected to beryllium signed soon.

WHEN WILL THE TEST KITS BE DELIVERED?

The archetypal transportation is expected successful aboriginal January. All 500 cardinal kits volition not beryllium delivered astatine the aforesaid clip but alternatively volition get successful batches.

MY DRUGSTORE DOESN'T HAVE ANY TESTS. HOW CAN I GET A FREE KIT FROM THE GOVERNMENT?

You'll spell to a caller authorities website to petition a kit, but the tract won't beryllium functional until aft the archetypal batch of trial kits person been delivered, Psaki said. She said the process was being handled that mode to debar creating much disorder for the public. But the thought is that anyone who wants a trial kit would log onto this website to petition one.

“We’re evidently not going to enactment the website up until determination are tests available,” Psaki said.

WHICH HOME TEST WILL I GET?

It's unclear. But Psaki noted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved respective antithetic brands of accelerated location tests.

WILL I BE LIMITED TO ONE TEST OR CAN I REQUEST MULTIPLE?

To beryllium determined, Psaki said.

WHY IS BIDEN BUYING THESE TEST KITS?

It represents an acknowledgement by the president that the medication needs to bash much to summation entree to COVID-19 testing, which is an important instrumentality to assistance dilatory the dispersed of the coronavirus.

In cases wherever infected radical amusement symptoms oregon not, investigating is the lone mode to find retired if they person the microorganism truthful they tin debar being retired and astir and perchance spreading disease.

But request for trial kits soared arsenic the holidays neared and radical grew anxious to trial themselves and their families earlier traveling, and arsenic the easy transmissible omicron variant dispersed rapidly successful conscionable a fewer weeks to go ascendant strain successful the U.S.

Biden's committedness of 500 cardinal trial kits is successful summation to the administration's earlier pledge to nonstop 50 cardinal accelerated tests to assemblage wellness centers crossed the country.

IS THERE ANOTHER WAY TO GET A TEST KIT FOR FREE

Biden said successful a code Tuesday that, starting successful January, backstage insurers volition screen the outgo of at-home testing. So radical volition person the enactment of buying tests astatine a store oregon online and past seeking reimbursement from their wellness security provider.

The authorities volition besides supply entree to escaped at-home tests for radical who whitethorn not person wellness insurance, Biden said.

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