How to order free at-home COVID-19 test kits

January 18, 2022 /

Although the official launch is scheduled for January 19, some Americans are able to order free at-home COVID-19 test kits a day early from the new federal government website.

COVIDTests.gov was expected to begin accepting orders on Wednesday, but upon visitation to the website, the following message was posted: “Covidtests.gov is up and running early so we can test the site before our official launch tomorrow. We have tests for every residential address in the U.S. Please check back tomorrow if you run into any unexpected issues.”

The “order free at-home tests” button on the site will then direct users to usps.com/covidtests where they can order four free at-home tests for their household.

The site does not require any health insurance or billing information, but orders are limited to one order per residential address. Each order will include four individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests and will ship for free in late January, within 7-12 days of placing the order.

To ensure equity and access for all Americans, the Biden Administration will also launch a call line to help those unable to access the website to place orders. Additionally, the Administration will work with national and local community-based organizations to support the nation’s hardest-hit and highest-risk communities in requesting tests.

The White House says it will prioritize shipments to Americans from ZIP codes that have experienced high rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths, with the first 20% of each day’s orders going to those areas.

“The demand for COVID-19 testing remains high in our community and statewide,” wrote Michelle Corson, Program Manager/Public Relations Officer at the Kern County Public Health Services Department. “In addition to our countywide infrastructure of partner testing sites, we coordinate mobile COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites throughout the county and a map with this information can be found on our website www.kernpublichealth.com.”

Victoria Rodgers

Victoria Rodgers is an editor and reporter for Kern Sol News. Born in Bakersfield, CA, she received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Rockford University in Illinois. She can be reached at victoria@southkernsol.org.