US government to suspend free COVID-19 test orders next week
A nasal swab is tested in a COVID-19 self testing kit provided by the District of Columbia government, which provides city residents four free take home tests per day, in this illustration taken on Jan 11, 2022. (Photo: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
Starting next week, Americans will not be able to order free at-home COVID-19 tests from a website set up by the US government due to limited supply.
The COVIDTests.gov website, set up amid the Omicron variant surge, helped US households secure COVID-19 tests at no cost.
President Joe Biden in January pledged to procure 1 billion free tests for Americans, including 500 million available through the website.
However, ordering through the programme will be suspended on Sep 2.
According to a notification on the website, the decision was made as "Congress hasn't provided additional funding to replenish the nation's stockpile of tests."
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