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.
COVID-19 hospitalizations are increasing and while the COVIDtests.gov program that provided free tests has been suspended, low-cost or free testing options are still available through local clinics, insurance, and community-based testing sites.
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.
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 Biden administration is providing funding for new at-home COVID-19 tests and reopening a website for Americans to order free tests in order to prevent potential shortages during the upcoming rise in coronavirus cases.
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 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.
