DENVER (KDVR) — Starting Wednesday, Americans will be able to request free at-home COVID tests from a new website set up by the federal government.

The administration says the rapid tests will take seven to 12 days to arrive and each household will be limited to four tests. You can also now get the tests at no cost through private insurance.

The goal is to stop the spread of the omicron variant, but doctors say these at-home tests are not always accurate. Dr. Scott Joy, the chief medical officer of HCA Physician Services Group Continental Division, said a positive test result from one the tests is likely valid, but a negative result is not definitive.

Joy said if you have symptoms and test negative for COVID with an at-home rapid antigen test, it is not an automatic green light to go back to work or school. He said you should follow up with a PCR test, although it can take days to get those results back.

Even with the limitations, Joy said the at-home test is an important tool.

“It’s not a home run but it’s going to take a lot of positive people out of the mix, and hopefully they’ll isolate for five to 10 days, and that decreases community spread,” Joy said.

In December, the US Food and Drug Administration said the at-home antigen tests can detect the Omicron variant, but may have reduced sensitivity.

“We are at least taking a fair percentage of people that are at least known to be positive, isolating them, decreasing the community spread, and I think that is the real opportunity here,” Joy said.