Defense Ministry signs agreement to start delivery of 500 million free COVID tests

The Biden administration has finalized a contract with a test maker to start supplying Americans with 500 million COVID-19[female[feminine tests, Fox News confirmed.
The Department of Defense, in coordination with the US Department of Health and Human Services, awarded the $ 51.6 million contract to Goldbelt Security, LLC, located in Newport News, Va., For the delivery of kits over-the-counter COVID-19 test kit.
According to the Department of Defense, the supply was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, which provides medical resources to different parts of the country.
More contracts are expected to be awarded, with testing from various suppliers and distributors. Once more information becomes available on how to purchase the tests, it will be shared online at defense.gov.
WHITE HOUSE ALL A MASSIVE COVID-19 TEST ORDER, BUT AMERICANS ARE STILL WAITING
In December, President Biden announced that 500 million coronavirus tests had been ordered by the administration and would be available for free in January.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday that the website to order the tests would become available once the tests are available.
“The first delivery from manufacturers will start later this month – that’s our expectation”, Psaki told reporters after noting that the Request for Proposal (RFP) distributed to contractors closed on Tuesday and is currently being evaluated by the administration.
âWhen we have these deliveries on hand, we’ll get the website up and running, make it available, so people can order tests then,â she said.
Although Psaki said the first shipment of tests would arrive in January, she could not specify how many tests would be included in that shipment when pressed by reporters.
Testing shortages hit the country hard during the holiday season, as cases increased with the spread of the highly contagious variant of omicron.
Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this article.