New White House Website Speeds Access to Free COVID-19 Care

THURSDAY, March 31, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it has launched a new website that includes help for people trying to find free COVID-19 prevention and treatment quickly.

COVID.gov will bring into one place several types of critical COVID-19 information, from finding high-quality masks to testing requirements for international travel. "We could not have done this six or eight months ago, because we didn't have all the tools we have now," Jeff Zients, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, told NPR.

This new tool will also provide information on community risk levels, as well as vaccination sites and forms for ordering eight free at-home tests per household.

"Today, I'm announcing the launch of COVID.gov... a one-stop shop where anyone in America can find what they need to navigate the virus: free vaccines and boosters, free at-home tests, high-quality masks. And for the latest information about the level of COVID-19 spread in your community, you can get that immediately," Biden said in a White House news release about the website Wednesday.

People can also be tested and treated by their own health care providers, who can prescribe antiviral pills. Those medications include both Evusheld, a drug that appears to boost immunity for those who are immunocompromised, and Paxlovid, which is highly effective at preventing hospitalization and death among people at high risk for severe disease.

The website information is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese. It can also be found at the national vaccine hotline at 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489). The hotline supports more than 150 languages.

NPR Article