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EXPLAINER: Where are the COVID-19 tests that Biden promised?

President Joe Biden
Posted at 2:36 PM, Jan 07, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-07 16:36:45-05

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced last month that the federal government will buy half a billion COVID-19 rapid test kits and distribute them free to people to use at home.

But despite the high public demand for tests, White House officials say it will still be several more weeks before these kits are available to be shipped.

Officials say the government tests are coming from new manufacturing capacity and should not interfere with existing supplies that drugstores, health clinics and state governments are relying on.

Arizonans are among many across the country seeking out testing, snapping up at-home tests offered by Valley cities within minutes and crowding lines at testing centers.