
President Biden announced Thursday that his administration is buying an additional 500 million rapid tests to distribute to people in the U.S. for free.
Driving the news: The administration previously bought 500 million rapid tests in December, which are scheduled to arrive this month. With the purchase announced today, the U.S. will have 1 billion tests in total "to meet future demand," Biden said.
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What we're watching: Biden said the administration will announce next week how it will make "high quality masks" available to the American people.
The administration will also roll out a website next week "where you can order a free test" and have it "shipped to your home."
What he's saying: "For those who want an immediate test, we continue to add FEMA testing sites so that there are more free in-person testing sites," Biden said.
The president reminded the public that those with health insurance can get reimbursed for eight tests a month, and for those without insurance, "we have over 20,000 free testing sites all around the country."
Go deeper: America once again faces COVID test shortages