Americans will again have the opportunity to receive free at-home rapid COVID-19 tests from the U.S. government, with orders starting next Monday, September 25, the Biden administration announced Wednesday. Ta.
Households will have access to four free rapid tests to “detect currently circulating new coronavirus variants,” the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement. The test will be available on COVIDTests.gov next week and is expected to begin shipping on October 2nd to help Americans detect and spread COVID-19 infections later this year, especially during holiday gatherings. The purpose is to prevent this from happening.
“Our focus right now is to get through the holidays and make sure people get their vacations.” Test whether to go see grandma for Thanksgiving” Dawn O’Connell, HHS assistant secretary for preparedness and response, told The Associated Press.
But beyond upcoming gatherings and respiratory virus season, HHS also said the free tests “will include clear instructions on how to confirm the extended expiration date.”
The test reagents will be released from the national strategic stockpile. This is the fifth time the government has provided free testing to American households. To date, the United States has served more than 755 million people in households and an additional 500 million people in long-term care facilities, low-income senior housing, the uninsured, and underserved communities. There is.
The relaunch of COVIDTests.gov comes in conjunction with the announcement of investments totaling $600 million in 12 domestic coronavirus test manufacturers. The investment agreement requires both companies to maintain rapid test manufacturing capabilities for future surges. It also stipulates that the government will conduct around 200 million rapid tests in the near future to replenish stockpiles.
“These important investments will strengthen our country’s production levels of rapid home COVID-19 tests and help mitigate the spread of the virus,” Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said in the announcement. ” he said.
Officials are working to reduce potential coronavirus infections this winter, but infections are on the rise as the late summer wave has yet to abate. Although the absolute numbers of hospitalizations and deaths have decreased compared to previous waves, The trend is still leaningData from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows similar conditions have been in place for several weeks.
The announcement of more free tests also comes amid the autumn COVID-19 vaccination campaign, currently underway with a recently updated vaccine targeting the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5. Unlike free testing, this is the first round of vaccines that will not be paid for or distributed by the government. And the development so far has been full of ups and downs.There are many reports regarding pharmacies. Cancel your vaccination appointment Because the doses are gone.Many people are experiencing issues with billing, with insurance plans being slow to update billing codes to include new vaccines and customers look at the 200 dollar bill For shots that need to be covered at no out-of-pocket expense.
The issue is expected to be resolved within days, with Moderna and Pfizer reporting that they believe they have sufficient supply. More than half of U.S. adults say they will definitely or probably get a new vaccine this fall, according to a recent poll.
