COVID-19 at-home tests free from government: Order online, no charge for USPS delivery

Kristi K. Higgins, The Progress-Index
·2 min read
The White House wants to get coronavirus tests into the hands of Americans.
The White House wants to get coronavirus tests into the hands of Americans.

Wondering how to receive free at-home COVID-19 tests? It's simple...

Visit COVIDTests.gov, click on Order Free At-Home Tests, provide your name and residential address, and wait for the kits to be delivered right to your mailbox.

The Biden administration purchased 500 million tests last month to help tackle a record surge in infections.

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Is there a catch?

No ID, credit card, or health insurance information is required. Share your email address to receive an order confirmation as well as order and delivery updates.

Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order four free coronavirus tests. The self-tests are completely free and usually ship within 7-12 days. There are no shipping and handling fees.

The ordering process was quick and easy. I'll save you some time...don't look for an option to order less than four over-the-counter tests. There is no option to request tests separately.

My confirmation order said, "COVID-19 tests will start shipping in late January. USPS will only send one set of four free at-home COVID-19 tests to valid residential addresses."

Rapid antigen COVID-19 tests

  • Can be taken anywhere

  • Give results within 30 minutes [no lab drop-off required]

  • Work whether or not you have COVID-⁠19 symptoms

  • Work whether or not you are up to date on COVID-⁠19 vaccines

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Minor hiccup

According to a USA TODAY story written by Kelly Tyko and Maureen Groppe, some users immediately identified at least one problem.

Orders made by different people living in the same apartment building but in different units were rejected as duplicates, according to some tweets.

One workaround is to put your apartment number in the street address field, Twitter users are reporting.

According to the White House, the administrations is taking steps to launch a free call line so Americans who have difficulty accessing the internet or need additional support can phone-in orders for their tests.

My order Summary: Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests, Order of 4 tests, Subtotal $0.00, Shipping & Handling $0.00, Total $0.00.

Order your tests now just in case you need one later.

— Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly columnist is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at khiggins@progress-index.com, follow @KHiggins_PI on Twitter, and subscribe to us at progress-index.com.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: COVID-19 at-home tests free from government: Four per valid address