In an effort to stop the virus’s spread throughout the approaching winter, the United States has reopened its free at-home Covid-19 testing program.
Hospitalizations linked to Covid are increasing, according to recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The current strain of the virus, which has been found in multiple US states, will be recognized by these tests.
A person may ask for up to four complimentary quick antigen tests.
The Covid test request website was initially launched by the government in January 2022, however the initiative was cut short sooner in 2023 to save testing supplies.
The program reportedly provided 755 million free Covid-19 tests via the USPS in the past, according to the Biden administration.
Many insurance companies stopped paying for test charges once the public health emergency expired in May, leaving people to cover the bills on their own.
Between September 3 and September 9, there were 20,538 hospitalizations, up 8% from the week before, according to the CDC’s Covid-19 monitoring.
The test kits will be usable through the end of 2023, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has previously advised that the shelf life might be longer than shown on the original packaging, thus instructions would also be provided for people to confirm the extended test expiration dates.
In a recent development, the Biden administration promised to fund 12 domestic Covid-19 test producers with $600 million (about £491 million). It anticipates receiving 200 million tests from these companies in total.
How to Request Free Tests: Visit the COVIDtests.gov website to request free at-home Covid-19 tests. You will then be asked for your contact information and shipping address.
Starting the week of October 2, 2023, all orders will be dispatched without charge.
Please be aware that each residential address is only permitted to place one order.
A telephone hotline is provided at 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489) for people who are unable to place an order online.
