It is now possible for Americans to get free COVID-19 testing delivered to their homes.
On Thursday, the program was reopened by the U.S. government, and any family can now obtain up to four COVID nasal swab kits through the website covidtests.gov. United States Postal Service shipments of the tests will commence as early as next week.
Health officials are asking Americans to acquire an updated COVID-19 booster and their yearly flu vaccine as the website reopens following a summer COVID-19 viral outbreak and into the fall and winter respiratory virus season.
The latest COVID-19 vaccine, which was approved by US regulators, is meant to fight not only the current viral strains but also, hopefully, the ones that may emerge this winter. But vaccination rates are falling. Fewer than 25% of adults in the United States got the COVID-19 vaccine last fall, even though the vast majority of us have some immunity from previous infections or vaccines.
In the months leading up to the fall and winter respiratory virus seasons, as well as the holidays, the swab can be used to detect the most recent strains of the virus. Approximately $11 was the going rate for COVID-19 at-home tests sold over the counter as of last year. The cost of the testing is no longer covered by insurers.
Millions of dollars have been spent by American taxpayers on COVID-19 testing and vaccinations since the virus’s 2020 emergence. With half of the total supply going to homes via the mail, the Biden administration has distributed 1.8 billion COVID-19 tests. How many tests are still in the government’s inventory is unknown.
