The Biden administration announced on Friday that it will resume offering free at-home Covid-19 tests to American households in late September. This comes as the virus continues to gain a stronger foothold in the United States this summer. Americans will soon be able to request four free tests through COVIDtests.gov, an online portal set up by the government. These tests will be able to detect the various Covid variants that are currently circulating, most of which are descendants of the highly contagious omicron variant.
The decision to offer free at-home tests is aimed at keeping families and their loved ones safe during the upcoming fall and winter season. Dawn O’Connell, an assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Health and Human Services Department, emphasized the importance of these tests in a briefing, stating that they have been made available to families for free on seven different occasions over the past three years.
Since the program’s inception in 2021, the government has provided more than 1.8 billion free over-the-counter Covid tests to Americans. The decision to relaunch the program comes at a time when Covid cases are on the rise, and it is expected that the virus will spread at higher levels during the fall and winter months, as is typically the case. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a “high” or “very high” level of Covid being detected in wastewater across nearly every U.S. state.
The program will be reopened in late September to coincide with the time when more Americans begin to travel and gather indoors with loved ones. David Boucher, director of infectious disease preparedness and response at the Health and Human Services Department, explained during the briefing that by then, the latest round of Covid shots from Pfizer and Moderna will also be widely available. These shots have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and target a specific variant called KP.2, which is a descendant of the JN.1 offshoot.
Testing remains a critical tool in the fight against Covid, especially as infections continue to rise. However, lab PCR tests, which have traditionally been used to detect the virus, have become more expensive and less accessible since the U.S. government ended the public health emergency in May last year. Despite this, there are still certain local health clinics and community sites that offer at-home tests to the public at no cost.
In conclusion, the Biden administration’s decision to resume offering free at-home Covid tests is a crucial step in keeping Americans safe during the upcoming fall and winter season. By providing these tests, the government aims to protect families and their loved ones as they begin to travel and gather indoors. This initiative, along with the availability of the latest Covid shots, will contribute to the ongoing efforts to combat the virus and ensure the well-being of the population.
