Live updates: follow the latest news on Omicron
US President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday quietly launched its website for Americans to request free at-home Covid-19 tests, a day before the site was scheduled to officially open.
The website, COVIDTests.gov, now includes a link for US residents to order up to four at-home tests per residential address, to be delivered by the US Postal Service.
It marks the latest step by Mr Biden to address criticism of low inventory and long queues for testing during a nationwide surge in Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant.
A White House official said the website is “currently in its beta phase” and operating at a “limited capacity ahead of its official launch”. The website will officially launch midmorning on Wednesday, the official said.
Mr Biden last month ordered 500 million at-home test for the programme, and on Thursday, he announced he was doubling the order to one billion tests.
But Americans shouldn’t expect a rapid turnaround on the orders.
The White House said “tests will typically ship within 7-12 days of ordering” through the USPS, which reports shipping times of 1-3 days for its first-class package service in the continental US.
Orders placed on Tuesday would be shipped in “late January”, USPS said.
Officials emphasised that the federal website is only one way for people to procure Covid-19 tests, and shortages of at-home test kits have shown signs of easing as more supply has hit the market.
Since Saturday, private insurance companies have been required to cover the cost of at-home rapid tests, allowing people to be reimbursed for tests they purchase at pharmacies and online retailers. That covers up to eight tests per month.
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Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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England v South Africa schedule
- First Test: Starts Thursday, Lord's, 2pm (UAE)
- Second Test: July 14-18, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 2pm
- Third Test: The Oval, London, July 27-31, 2pm
- Fourth Test: Old Trafford, Manchester, August 4-8
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
