- This week, millions of at-home COVID-19 test kits will be available to Americans for free.
- The program is a long time coming, and similar ones have existed in other countries for months.
- The long-running UK program hands out more tests per person and delivers faster than the US's.
Starting on Wednesday, millions of Americans will be able to order free at-home COVID-19 rapid tests from a centralized federal program.
President Joe Biden's move is meant to help counter the spread of the Omicron variant by giving a better impression of how many people are sick and who should isolate.
The decision to provide tests for free is also a big change given that the White House not long ago dismissed such a proposal.
But in other countries, free at-home testing has been the norm for months. One such example is the UK, which offers a faster and more generous system than the one set to start this week for Americans.
Slow rollout
Free coronavirus tests have been available in the UK since April, giving it a 10-month head start on the US.
When Biden came into office, he promised to ramp up testing, but supply-chain issues, shipping breakdowns, and increased demand during infection spikes led to a severe testing shortage, CNN reported.
Last month, Biden denied that the rollout had been slow, saying in a speech: "It didn't take long at all."
US test kits are limited
US households will be able to order up to four COVID-19 tests at a time. It's not clear how often repeat orders will be allowed.
In the UK, each box contains seven tests. That's meant to last people three weeks, but it's possible to order a new box every 24 hours.
Delivery takes longer
Delivery of the US kits will take between one to two weeks, a senior Biden administration official said, according to The New York Times.
In the UK, the kits are sent first class. The time frame given for delivery is three days, but in practice, they can arrive the day after the order is placed.