US/Southern California Similarly cannot get rapid test kits at drug or department stores. I too heard this was due to our government pushing for a "warp speed

US/Southern California Similarly cannot get rapid test kits at drug or department stores. I too heard this was due to our government pushing for a "warp speed" vaccine plan but not focusing as much on testing. I am holding out for the 4x free USPS rapid tests [0]. Free PCR test collection sites are plentiful though appointment slots are not. Some used to have walk-in or drive-up options but nearly all require appointments. Many of the chain drug stores (CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid) listed on this HHS page [1] only allow booking 3 days in advance of which there will be zero availability. Shy of paying possibly $50-100 for a slightly faster result or commuting farther (as some folks did in a recent NPR Planet Money podcast episode [2]) I found Covid Clinic, which I have used to test a few times a week over the past few months since I currently work in person. [3] To get a test, select any site and time slot, fill out (lengthy) form and you are given an order number. Go to any other Covid Clinic site with that order number any time they are open and they will test you. I've walked or driven up to 5-6 different sites in my area and never have been turned away for being at the wrong site or not having an appointment. I'm usually driving off in 10 minutes from checking in (confirming your order number, name, birthday, email, phone and that you want the free PCR test) and at most sites in my area, there are 1-5 people ahead of me during lunch or after work. Then email you a PDF attached with your result. No account, no password, quite straight forward compared to the competition (except for their lengthy sign up form). The caveats are that test results that used to come back in 24-28 hours like clockwork before the omicron surge now take 5 days or more, but I have heard this is common even with other testing companies. I also waited 2 hours in line a few days prior to Christmas and New Year's, and had to submit the form several times before it provided an order number due to a likely traffic surge. Now I just sign up 2-3 times at the start of the week and use those order numbers when I arrive (they seem to at least last 5 days). [0] https://special.usps.com/testkits https://special.usps.com/testkits [1] https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/community-based-testing-sites/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/community-based-testing-site... [2] https://www.npr.org/2022/01/14/1073227859/the-rapid-testing-show https://www.npr.org/2022/01/14/1073227859/the-rapid-testing-... [3] https://covidclinic.org https://covidclinic.org