Website for Free COVID Tests From Government Launches Early at ‘Limited

Free at-home rapid COVID test kits were slated to be available for order through a government website starting Wednesday, but many users reported being able to place their orders late Tuesday morning.

A White House spokesperson confirmed the site was launched in a “beta phase” Tuesday and was “operating at limited capacity ahead of its official launch,” which remains scheduled for Wednesday.

“This is standard practice to address troubleshooting and ensure as smooth of an official launch tomorrow as possible,” the spokesperson told NBC News. “We expect the website to officially launch mid-morning tomorrow.”

Here’s what to know about the website and how you can order your tests:

WHEN AND HOW CAN YOU ORDER YOUR FREE COVID TEST KITS?

The new federal website to request free test kits, covidtests.gov, officially launches Wednesday, with the first shipments going out to Americans by the end of the month.

But late Tuesday morning, many users reported they had been able to place their orders already. A White House spokesperson confirmed the site was launched in a “beta phase” Tuesday and was “operating at limited capacity ahead of its official launch.”

“The tests will be completely free—there are no shipping costs and you don’t need to enter a credit card number,” the website states.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO RECEIVE THE TESTS?

The White House says “tests will typically ship within 7-12 days of ordering” through the U.S. Postal Service. USPS reports shipping times of 1-3 days for its first-class package service in the continental United States. Shipments to Alaska, Hawaii, Army Post Office (APO), Fleet Post Office (FPO) and Diplomatic Post Office (DPO) addresses will be sent through Priority Mail.

Importantly, given the shipping and process times, Americans will need to request the tests well before they meet federal guidelines for requiring a test.

HOW MANY TESTS CAN I ORDER FROM THE WEBSITE?

The White House says that “to promote broad access,” shipments from covidtests.gov will initially be limited to four rapid tests per residential address, no matter the number of occupants.

WHAT IF I HAVE MORE THAN 4 PEOPLE IN A HOUSEHOLD?

According to the website, the limit will remain four per residential address.

“To promote broad access, the initial program will only allow 4 free individual tests per residential address,” the site states.

WHICH HOME TEST WILL I GET?

That will vary. The federal government has secured more than 420 million tests for distribution through covidtests.gov already, with plans to increase the order to 1 billion tests in the coming weeks. All of the tests supplied will be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and are capable of detecting the more-transmissible omicron variant of COVID-19, which is the dominant strain in the U.S. While they are packaged differently and may use slightly different procedures, officials said, the test mechanisms of detection and effectiveness are generally the same. All tests will come with detailed instructions.

CAN I CHOOSE WHICH TEST I GET?

According to the site, people will not be able to choose which brand of at-home tests they…