Sending a message to US Americans free Covid tests again. Here’s how to get them

Washington — Americans can once again order Covid-19 tests, free of charge, and shipped straight to their homes.

The U.S. government reopened the program on Thursday, allowing each household to order up to four home Covid nasal swab kits through the covidtests.gov website. Tests will begin shipping via the United States Postal Service next week.

“Before visiting family and friends this holiday season, get a rapid test and help protect them from Covid-19,” Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O’Connell said in a statement.

Why are tests being offered now?

The site has reopened after a summer surge of Covid-19 and as the fall/winter respiratory virus season begins, health officials are urging Americans to get an updated Covid-19 vaccine and an annual flu shot.

U.S. regulators have approved an updated Covid-19 vaccine to fight the latest strains of the virus and, they hope, upcoming winter strains as well. However, vaccination rates are declining. Most Americans have some immunity from previous infections or vaccinations, but last fall, less than a quarter of American adults got vaccinated against Covid-19.

Using a cotton swab, you can detect current virus strains before the fall and winter respiratory virus season and the holidays. As of last year, over-the-counter home Covid-19 tests typically cost about $11. Insurers are no longer obliged to cover the costs of tests.

I have old tests that are past their expiration date. Can I still use them?

If you already have Covid-19 tests at home, check the expiration date on the box. Many tests have an extended expiration date compared to the date stated on the box. You can check the Food and Drug Administration website to see if this is the case with any of the other tests you have performed at home.

Are these tests really free?

There is no cost to households signing up for testing, but U.S. taxpayers have already paid a significant amount for the testing program.

Since Covid-19 began spreading in 2020, the US government has committed billions of dollars to the development and purchase of Covid-19 tests and vaccines. The Biden administration has distributed 1.8 billion Covid-19 tests, half of them distributed to households by mail. It is unclear how many tests the government still has.