Biden picks Kroger, other top retailers to sell COVID tests at cost

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Kroger is among several large national retailers tapped to offer at-home, rapid test COVID kits at cost over the next three months.

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced Kroger, Walmart and Amazon as the retailers that will sell the tests kits.

Because the kits will be sold at cost to the retailers, they will be priced 35 percent lower than currently available test kits, according to the administration.

These price reductions will be in effect by the end of this week.

“We have partnered with the Biden Administration on several initiatives to accelerate COVID-19 vaccination in America, including our Community Immunity $5 million giveaway, and as the President announced yesterday, Kroger is one of three national partners who have agreed to make at-home, rapid COVID-19 tests available to customers at cost for the next 100 days,” Jenifer Moore, Kroger Corporate Affairs Manager, said.

The administration also acted to ensure Medicaid will cover at-home tests for free for beneficiaries.

Biden is invoking the Defense Production Act to produce as many as 280 million COVID tests.

The act authorizes the president to require businesses to accept and prioritize contracts for materials deemed necessary for national defense, regardless of a loss incurred on business.

President Donald Trump invoked the act twice, first in March 2020 to prohibit price gouging on health and medical resources, second in April 2020 to require the production of N95 respirators.

Biden invoked the act in January 2021 on his second day in office to increase the production of supplies related to the pandemic including protective equipment. He invoked it again in March to supply equipment to Merck to safely manufacture J&J vaccines.

>> Biden announces sweeping new vaccine mandates for 100 million Americans

Demand for testing is expected to rise as Biden’s new vaccination mandate covering employers with 100+ employees goes into effect.

The mandates require a weekly negative test from employees who refuse to get vaccinated.

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