The White House today announced a COVID-19 response plan that includes a large effort to increase at-home rapid testing.
President Joe Biden’s plan includes the opening of new federal testing sites to increase capacity and the distribution of 500 million at-home, rapid tests to Americans.
The Biden administration plans to purchase a half-billion rapid tests this winter with intentions to distribute them for free to those who want them. The initial delivery is slated to begin in January 2022, with the administration planning to put up a website for Americans to request their at-home tests.
Additionally, according to a news release, new federal testing sites will be set up around the U.S., with the first set to go up in New York City this week.
Biden also said the plan includes utilizing the Defense Production Act to accelerate production, making sure the U.S. is “producing as many tests as quickly as possible.”
The White House touted the increased production and testing capacity in the country under the administration to date, with 20,000 free testing sites across the U.S. and four times as many at-home tests available to Americans compared to the past summer.