He added that the next batch of tests should be available “pretty soon”.
Public health experts said the tests, however late they were, served important purposes beyond diagnosing infections. Lindsey Dawson, a political analyst at the Kaiser Family Foundation who has studied the availability of rapid tests, said the email program helped change the perception of rapid tests from a rare luxury to a normal, accessible resource.
“Just making someone familiar, like, ‘Oh, that’s not that scary. I can have them at home. I can use them for myself. I can use them on my child and move around the world in a way that makes me feel more secure,” she said of the mass distribution.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend home testing after exposure to the virus, when Covid symptoms appear, or before indoor gatherings with vulnerable people.
Other components of the Biden administration’s response to the pandemic will rely on testing, such as the test-for-cure initiative, which allows Americans to get tested at pharmacies, community health centers, and long-term care facilities, and receive antivirals on the spot. if they give a positive result.
Meanwhile, some public health experts have warned that after the CDC recently relaxed mask recommendations for much of the country, people may be at greater risk, which could put them at risk of contracting the virus, even if there is less of it around.
Millions of Americans are immunocompromised, and the youngest children still cannot be vaccinated.
Christina Rondinone, a Jupiter, Florida housewife, has been keeping a small stock of tests from a nearby pharmacy and mail service program in recent months. She plans to order four more tests from the government that she can use before visiting her father, who has a lung and kidney condition and needs dialysis, putting him at risk for severe Covid-19. Ms Rondinone, 35, said the tests were like a first aid kit in her home; she would like to start using them after attending crowded indoor events without a mask, she added.