The federal government is encouraging Americans to place orders for free COVID tests again ahead of a potential surge in cases this winter. The at-home test kits are available at covidtests.gov, and each household is eligible for four. They’ll begin shipping the week of December 19.
Free tests from the federal government haven’t been available since September, when the program was halted because Congress did not provide additional funding to replenish the country’s stockpile of tests, as SELF previously reported. A senior official in the Biden administration told NPR that the White House moved funds around to buy more tests to help everyone prepare for the possibility of higher COVID transmission during the holidays.
“We know that the virus will circulate more quickly and easily as folks gather indoors for the winter holiday season,” the official said. Cases have already spiked since Thanksgiving, jumping from about 307,457 new weekly cases the week of November 23 to 458,986 weekly cases now, according to the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Deaths from COVID have also risen since November 23, from about 2,601 per week to just under 3,000 per week now. The official who spoke to NPR said the government is bracing for another uptick in cases after the December holiday festivities.
READ RELATED: 5 Foods You Must Avoid To Lose Weight in 2023
Though people with insurance can be reimbursed for COVID tests purchased independently, offering free tests by mail is a step in the right direction. As SELF has previously reported, testing yourself for COVID as soon as you feel sick is necessary to protect yourself and your community this winter. The at-home kits are especially important, given the low vaccination rate in the US: Only 13.5% of people over five years old have gotten an updated booster, known as a bivalent booster, that was specifically designed to offer protection against the dominant omicron strains, per the CDC.
Since we don’t know how many tests the government currently has—and, thus, whether they’re in any danger of eventually running out—it’s probably in your best interest to place an order sooner rather than later.
Related:
Source: SELF
