The government will be offering free COVID-19 tests for at-home use. Here’s what we know
(Gray News) – As United States citizens continue to deal with COVID-19 infections and prepare for a new strain of coronavirus, the government has announced there will be free COVID-19 tests available for households.
According to the Food and Drug Administration’s website, each household will be able to order up to four nasal swab COVID-19 tests at no charge “in late September 2024.”
As of this year, most at-home COVID-19 tests cost about $11.
A link on the website leads to the Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response.
However, the instructions for ordering the tests do not get clearer from there.
A message proclaiming “Coming soon! Order your free COVID-19 tests at the end of September 2024” is highlighted at the top of the page.
The message continues to say that four tests can be ordered per household, and the tests will be able to detect all current COVID-19 variants and can be used throughout the rest of the year.
According to the site, the government is “making COVID-19 tests available to uninsured individuals and underserved communities through existing outreach programs.”
As of Wednesday, Sept. 25, the option to place an order does not seem to be available.
WMAQ reported the site was down altogether on Monday. On Tuesday, the site reportedly redirected to the United States Postal Service website.
The site also has a message suggesting anyone in need of help should contact an HRSA-funded health center or ICATT location to learn how to schedule low- or no-cost services and pharmacies provided by the government.
The site said these types of COVID tests will be available to order will be rapid antigen at-home tests, can be taken at home or other locations and can provide results within 30 minutes.
They can also be used for testing even if no COVID-19 symptoms are present, can be used regardless of how up-to-date you are on vaccines and can be referred to as self-tests or over-the-counter tests.
The announcement for additional free tests comes as the government is urging people to get an updated COVID-19 booster ahead of the fall and winter respiratory virus season.
This month, regulators approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine designed to fight the recent virus strains as well as future strains.
By now, most Americans have some immunity to COVID-19 through previous infections or vaccinations. However, data shows most adults are no longer getting the updated shots.
The Biden administration has given out 1.8 billion COVID-19 tests, with half distributed by mail to households.
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