With the Omicron COVID-19 surge peaking during this past holiday, the lack of COVID testing kits available for purchase has been highlighted by their absence online and on store shelves. Numbers surged as a result of families gatherings all over the world. Many families attempted to test to safely gather together. However, finding instant COVID test kits was deemed near impossible.

COVID-19 tests contain a small instruction manual with a pamphlet and instructions to read an accurate result. By swabbing one’s nostril or the inside of one’s mouth, one can mix the hopefully-covid-free particles with a solution. After waiting 15 minutes, either a line will appear over the variable C (control), which indicates a negative result or another line will faintly appear over the variable T (test), which indicates that the virus has been detected in your system.

With many family gatherings being affected by the pandemic’s surge, the scarcity of tests became a polarized topic on social media and elsewhere, with many stores being sold out of the kits. Some people had to visit 10 stores or more for a test kit, much to no avail. With numbers peaking, Bishop O’Dowd High School was forced to go online for two weeks, but now requires students to test twice to return back to campus. While COVID-19 testing is still extremely hard to come by, O’Dowd generously provided students kits to return to campus. Fortunately, companies are also beginning to become more generous with these tests.

USPS, the United States Postal Service, recently began a free COVID test shipment service for all U.S. citizens in need of a test. One can place a single order for no cost to be shipped to their house address (with a limit of 1 box per household), and receive a package of four COVID-19 rapid tests. Luckily, with free shipments of COVID testing becoming more available to people globally, Omicron infection numbers will likely drop.

This link has the USPS COVID-19 instant tests