Thread by @anildash

Pretty impressive — the free covid test ordering site is taking orders now, a day *ahead* of the announced launch. (I wonder if this is a test for all users or just some users?) covidtests.gov

(I don't expect that this will be open to everyone all at once ahead of scheduled launch time; it's normal for a site with this kind of scale to open up in phases to different users over time.)

I got my confirmation from USPS just seconds after submitting my info. Total time from visiting the site to having an emailed confirmation of the completed order was maybe 90 seconds. In all, an impressively well-executed experience that I hope continues to improve and expand.

The rollout is in phases, with a subset of users flagged to test the live signup process. Even with that constraint, the site is easily handling ~250k simultaneous users right now, and makes up most of the top 10 federal websites currently being visited. analytics.usa.gov

Well over half a million simultaneous users on covidtests.gov now, and loading times are slightly *faster* than they were 2 hours ago. USPS infrastructure seems to be handling everything smoothly, too. A really technically impressive pre-launch.

I had missed this in the initial announcement, but the free covid tests can also ordered by calling 1-800-232-0233, an excellent option for people who don't have computer/internet access or who found shortcomings in the online order process. Significantly broadens availability.

Hey! Shipment tracking notice just came in. Pretty smooth experience.

“The website itself was built by a relatively tiny team: three from USDS and around 15 in the Postal Service, a dramatic contrast to the human waves the government used to marshal on such projects.” link.wired.com/view/5be9d5af2…