The funding will produce new at-home tests and restart a website to allow Americans to order four free tests per household

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is providing $600m in funding to produce new, at-home Covid-19 tests and is restarting a website allowing Americans to again order up to four free tests per household – aiming to prevent possible shortages during a rise in coronavirus cases that has typically come during colder months.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says orders can be placed at covidtests.gov starting 25 September, and that no-cost tests will be delivered for free by the United States Postal Service (USPS).

Twelve manufacturers that employ hundreds of people in seven states from California to Maryland have been awarded funding and will produce 200m over-the-counter tests to replenish federal stockpiles for government use, in addition to producing enough tests to meet demand for tests ordered online, the department said.

  • Got_Bent@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Good. I’ve come down with something that mirrors what COVID felt like and have exhausted my supply of tests. They were pretty expensive to purchase.

  • the post of tom joad@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    website to allow Americans to order four free tests per household

    Typical half measures. 4 tests per household isnt close to enough, and the fact you have to order them rather than having them just sent to taxpayers homes further shows the funding for this isn’t nearly enough to cover tests for the entire country.

    Oh yeah, one more thing: is this gonna be the same website that crashed 5 times before it let me order my tests, tests that never in fact arrived?

    • Drusas@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Automatically sending them to homes would be extremely wasteful in a country where some half of the populace would never bother using them. Half would go straight in the trash.

      • the post of tom joad@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        First, I disagree with your numbers. Remember, these aren’t vaccinations, they are tests. I know of very few anti-tester rallies.

        Second, i especially disagree with your assertion that there might be a problem with even (for for slipslope purposes) a million dollars wasted if it saved a single American life.

        Onto my own rant/rave, the complete garbage that is tv news in this country notwithstanding, i lay full blame of the distrust in the cdc and sound (or otherwise) medicine on the government’s shoulders. Their mandates, when they weren’t contradicting themselves clearly catered to business’ interests over human lives.

        Even though i understand why, as we are surrounded by constant messages all saying that *somehow the complete lack of government mandated COVID protection is our fault, I still get frustrated when i see what i think is people blaming the victims.

        US citizens have, willfully or otherwise, been failed spectacularly.

        • Drusas@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          I’m going to have to disagree with you. There are a lot of people who don’t bother to test themselves because they don’t think COVID is a big deal in any way.

          • FordBeeblebrox@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Also folks who show symptoms but refuse to take a test because they’d lose money from time off work, since we all decided that safety nets and caring for the populace is stupid and communist so people have to juggle rent and self reporting

        • Jumpinship@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          I used to test, but now that I know none of my friends or family don’t get sick there’s no point really. I can tell if I have vivid because I get a mild back soreness for an hour in the morning.

          • Drusas@kbin.social
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            1 year ago

            I think you might mean you know your friends and family don’t get sick… If none of your friends or family don’t get sick, that means all of them get sick.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      4 was plenty for my family to find out we were COVID positive. We ended up buying replacement tests because they weren’t free anymore, but the free ones worked as intended.

      • the post of tom joad@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        We ended up buying replacement tests because they weren’t free anymore

        Im not trying to pick on you, but that is exactly what I’m saying: 4 isn’t enough. And i seriously mean it when i say i’m glad you can afford more tests, but not everyone can.

        You did the right thing, spent what you could afford and bought more tests. Did you test as often as you would have if the tests were cheaper or even free?

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Considering there’s no reason to test when you’re not having symptoms and that was the only time we had symptoms, I don’t think I would have tested more often.

    • MooseBoys@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      4 tests per household isnt close to enough

      What’s your definition of “enough”? Of course it’s not enough to allow everyone to be 100% confident they don’t have covid if they come down with the sniffles. But if you have known COVID exposure, it allows you to test at the recommended 5-day mark to see if you have it yourself. That probably would cover around 80% of needs.

    • samus12345@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      There’s always a larger surge after Thanksgiving and Christmas, when people are traveling and going to gatherings.

    • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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      1 year ago

      My kid got it after 2 weeks in school and gave it to me. I’ve had multiple coworkers get it in the last few weeks too.

    • Starb3an@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      I don’t know about statistics on actual cases. Our company manufactures masks and sells them direct on Amazon. I do know we’ve had to ramp production back up for this month.