The COVID Test Website Is up but There Are Already Problems – Opinion

We wanted to let you know that the federal government COVID test website is up and working today and you can order tests, although they are cautioning, it’s operating “in a limited capacity.”

They’ve finally gotten around to it after months of promising easy at-home test availability to Americans, lying, and failing to deliver on those promises.

As we previously reported, it’s officially supposed to open tomorrow. They opened today what White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki referred to as the “beta phase.” Now, opening early was perhaps the first intelligent move I’ve seen from the Biden Administration. The site was functional and not too stressed. So if you wanted to use it, today might be the day to use it because come tomorrow — the officially announced day — it’s going to get flooded.

Do they learn anything from the Obamacare website roll out debacle? Will their servers be sufficient? What’s helping them is that they’re not starting from scratch, as Psaki admits — they’re using the system of the U.S. Postal Service already sells things so it’s like adding an item to the already established set-up.

Jen Psaki states that Biden’s testing site remains in the “beta phase” amid a COVID test shortage. This comes WEEKS following Biden made promises about tests. pic.twitter.com/amOzbiEwvJ

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 18, 2022

Now, if you place an order, you’re supposed to get four tests per residence. You cannot order fewer tests. You will receive an email confirming that your order has been placed. The tests will be shipped at the beginning of January. You also can’t get any more. If you need more, too bad, that’s it.

So you’re not going to be ordering it to test yourself if you think you have it now, because it’s never going to get here in time if it’s not even going to ship until the end of January. You’ll be recovered by the time you get the test (if you get it).

It could also mean that many people will get it once the Omicron surge is over and has begun to decline.

So, if you’re going to make any use of it at all, you’re going to have to order it in anticipation of when you think you might want or need it.

Some people found another problem — that they were blocked from getting it because of where they lived. If the system interpreted your address as a business address, you would be blocked from being able to order anything because they’re only going to ship it to residential addresses. That’s what it means. If you are living in an apartment that houses businesses also, this could mean you’re out of luck. People who live in places with more apartment housing may find this problematic. Some people also noted it wasn’t allowing orders for multiple apartments in the same building. So if you weren’t the first person in your building to order, you might be out of luck. Kids in school dorms also reportedly had trouble ordering any — a dorm is interpreted as a business.

I won’t be able to receive at-home tests since my apartment is connected to a commercial building. This is a common problem. https://t.co/qundyrhifI pic.twitter.com/BKzOPadH23

— Jessica Christian (@jachristian) January 18, 2022

no bc i can’t order the free at home covid tests bc apparently my dorm address is seen as a business and not a residential address 😡 i guess college students don’t deserve free covid tests

— annie misses lhh! (@particularhoran) January 18, 2022

The government realizes that all residents of a dormitory/apartment building share the same address, so the only unit allowed to order at-home covid testing is the one located at the address. pic.twitter.com/hss9SOYPa6

— stevie (@srj0514) January 18, 2022

We’ll have to see what happens when the mass of all humanity hits the site tomorrow when it officially opens.