The U.S. is experiencing a steady increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as it enters the Labor Day weekend, with new hospital admissions expected to continue rising, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As COVID-19 cases rise with the return of children to school, people are seeking free COVID test kits through various means, including mail and insurance coverage, while health authorities monitor the spread of new variants.
The US is witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases, leading to increased demand for at-home tests, but manufacturers and major pharmacy chains say they have enough supply to meet customers' needs and there is no need to worry about potential shortages.
Free at-home COVID tests provided by the Postal Service program may no longer be available, but there are still multiple options for getting tested for COVID-19 without paying, including the Test to Treat initiative, Health Resources & Services Administration health centers, and the CDC's Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) program.
Free COVID-19 tests are still available at retail pharmacies and clinics, even though many at-home test kits have expired after the public health emergency ended on May 11.
Americans can now receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine to reduce the severity of symptoms, protect against current variants, and curb the risk of "long COVID."
The federal government will resume offering free Covid-19 tests through the mail on September 25th, allowing households to order up to four test kits each, and also allocating $600 million to produce additional tests for distribution.
The US Department of Health and Human Services is investing $600 million in domestic COVID-19 test manufacturers and reopening COVIDTests.gov to provide free tests to households across the country, improving preparedness and securing 200 million new tests for future use.
The US Postal Service will resume shipping free COVID-19 tests to homes across the country, made possible by a $600 million investment from the White House, as COVID cases continue to rise and winter approaches.
The US government will offer households four free at-home COVID-19 rapid tests starting October 2 to help detect and prevent the spread of the virus, especially during holiday gatherings.
