Amid an ongoing surge of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, the Biden administration launched a new testing initiative last week, sending every residence four free rapid tests and requiring private health insurers to cover up to eight at-home tests per month for those on their plans.
The White House had faced criticism over their pandemic response efforts for the last couple of months – especially as states shattered case records, Americans found rapid tests extremely scarce or overpriced, and wait times for PCR tests were hours long in frigid temperatures.