- The Biden administration announced Monday that it will resume offering free at-home coronavirus tests to American families as the virus spreads across the country.
- Americans will soon be able to request four free tests through COVIDtests.gov, the government said in a statement.
- The government has been providing free test kits through a website since January 2022, but the website stopped accepting orders on June 1 to maintain a supply of test kits.
The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it will resume offering free at-home coronavirus tests to American families on Monday as the virus spreads across the country. Americans will soon be able to request four free tests through COVIDtests.gov, the government said in a statement.
PHOTO Credit: Carlo Allegri | Reuters
The government has been providing free test kits through a website since January 2022, but the website stopped accepting orders on June 1 to maintain a supply of test kits. The government will restart the program in the fall and winter, when the virus usually spreads at a higher level. Hospitalizations for Covid-19 have risen for eight weeks in a row, with new strains of the virus largely driving the increase. But the Biden administration has noted that upcoming home tests will detect currently circulating variants of the coronavirus. The government added that the kits are expected to be available by the end of 2023 and will come with instructions on how people can check if the test has been extended. As coronavirus infections rise again, testing has become an important safeguard.
But since the US government ended its public health emergency in May, laboratory computer tests — the traditional way to detect the coronavirus — have become more expensive and less accessible to some Americans. The end of the announcement also changes how public and private insurers cover home inspections, potentially preventing some people from getting them for free through their plans. However, some community health clinics and community websites still offer free home testing to the public. Also Wednesday, the Biden administration announced it would provide $600 million to increase production capacity at 12 coronavirus test manufacturers across the country. The government plans to receive about 200 million tests from these companies. “This critical investment will strengthen our nation’s domestic manufacturing of rapid Covid-19 tests and help mitigate the spread of the virus,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Bezer said in a statement.
