SAN DIEGO — The federal government’s website to order free coronavirus test kits is active and accepting orders. To get four free tests sent to your home go to covidtests.gov.
Because of expected high demand, each household can only have four tests shipped to their residence.
The White House says “tests will typically ship within 7-12 days of ordering” through the U.S. Postal Service.
People will need to request the tests well before they meet the guidelines for requiring them since USPS shipping times are at least 1-3 days. The tests should be ordered and kept until somebody in the household starts to feel sick with COVID-like symptoms.
Officials had said that orders would begin Wednesday, but White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on Tuesday that a "beta testing phase" of the ordering site had gone live as a way to test the system before a full rollout Wednesday.
Also, the self-test reimbursement program started on Jan. 15. For those who are insured:
If you bought a Covid test starting January 15th and onward, you can be reimbursed by your insurance company for the full cost up to 8 self-covid tests per person per month.
If the pharmacy accepts your insurance information you can do it at the register or at check out, or submit a claim afterward through your pharmacy coverage like CVS Caremark.
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