Everything You Need To Know About The New 'One-Stop' COVID Website
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden introduced a new website from the federal government that's compiled everything you need for COVID-19 safety (via WebMD). The "one-stop shopping" site offers resources for obtaining free masks, vaccines, at-home testing kits, and COVID-19 treatments. The website, Covid.gov, also provides education on COVID-19 symptoms, different types of masks, and travel restrictions.
The newest resource offered through the site is a test-to-treat program, according to WebMD. You can search for your location in the database, and you'll find participating pharmacies, community health centers, Indian Health Service sites, and Veterans Affairs (VA) clinics where you can get a test and, if you test positive, receive treatment at the same time. At the top of the page, you can enter your county and see what the COVID-19 Community Level is for your area, along with guidance on masking and testing. If there's anything you don't understand, the site is filled with links to other federal sites like the CDC that will help explain things more in depth.
Why a site like this one is important
Throughout the pandemic, information and guidance on COVID-19 has been far from streamlined. With all the different resources available in so many different places, there hasn't been one central source for everything you might need to fight COVID-19 (per WebMD). This "one-stop shopping" site will allow for better access to resources, especially as some states begin shutting down their own programs and sites. Since case counts are dropping and demand is lowering, some states feel this is necessary, especially as they worry that federal funding for these resources will soon dry up.
While we could have used this website long ago, COVID-19 is still very present in the U.S. and there's now concern about a new subvariant of Omicron called BA.2 that's spreading rapidly across the globe, according to the New York Times. As of March 26, it accounted for nearly 55% of all COVID-19 cases (via CDC). For now, getting vaccinated and bookmarking Covid.gov may help you stay safe and healthy in the months to come.