Walmart, Amazon, and Kroger will start selling at-home rapid COVID-19 tests at up to a 35% discount starting this week

• Amazon, Walmart, and Kroger will offer at-home COVID-19 tests at sharply reduced prices beginning this week.
• It's part of the Biden administration's action plan to combat the coronavirus.
• The plan also includes requiring large employers to mandate vaccines for employees.

The three largest retailers in the US will soon start offering at-home COVID-19 rapid tests at a sharply reduced price.

The Biden administration on Thursday announced an action plan to help combat the coronavirus as new cases surge and health officials urge more Americans to get fully vaccinated. The plan includes a range of new measures, including requiring employers with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccines or require weekly testing for their workers, a rule that will impact more than 80 million employees nationwide.

Biden's plan also includes cooperating with Amazon, Walmart, and Kroger to make COVID tests more widely available and easier to obtain. Those retailers will sell at-home rapid tests at-cost for the next three months, meaning they'll cost up to 35% less both in stores and online.

These price reductions will go into effect by the end of this week, the administration said.

As part of the administration's effort to improve access to COVID tests, Medicaid is required to make at-home COVID tests free for beneficiaries, the administration said, adding that "states should ensure that any tools they use to manage at-home testing do not establish arbitrary barriers for people seeking care."

In addition, 25 million rapid tests will be sent to hundreds of food banks and 1,400 community health centers across the US.