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For the first time, people across the U.S. can log on to a government website and order free, at-home COVID-19 tests. But the  may do little to ease the omicron surge, and experts say Washington will have to do a lot more to fix the country’s long-troubled testing system.

The website, , allows people to order four at-home tests per household, regardless of citizenship status, and have them delivered by mail. But the tests won’t arrive for seven to 12 days, after omicron cases are expected to  in many parts of the country.

The White House also announced Wednesday that it will begin making  available for free at pharmacies and community health centers. Both  represent the kind of mass government investments long seen in parts of Europe and Asia, but delayed in the U.S.

Experts say the plan to distribute 1 billion tests is a good first step, but it must become a regular part of the pandemic response. In the same way that it has made vaccines free and plentiful, the government must use its purchasing power to assure a , they say.