White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced Tuesday that the website is now open to the public in its "beta phase" ahead of a full rollout on Wednesday.
The early launch is meant to ensure that the site is fully operational so that consumers can use it without any issues. CNN quotes a senior White House official as saying that the site is currently operating at a limited capacity.
"This is standard practice to address troubleshooting and ensure as smooth of an official launch tomorrow as possible. We expect the website to officially launch mid-morning tomorrow," they stated.
Four free tests
According to information found on the new website, every U.S. household will be able to order four free at-home COVID-19 tests at no charge. The orders should ship within 7-12 days.
The site also offers other resources for consumers who need COVID-19 tests more quickly than the shipping schedule. It also includes information on insurance reimbursement, free testing sites, and retailers and pharmacies that offer at-home tests.
The new site should provide the Biden administration with an opportunity to help meet its goal of buying 1 billion COVID-19 tests to give to Americans for free. The tests have recently been in short supply due to a spike in new cases related to the Omicron variant.