The summer season wave of COVID infections could also be ebbing—nationwide weekly check positivity has been reducing for the reason that week ended Aug. 10—however with autumn now right here and the winter holidays approaching, free COVID checks will as soon as once more turn out to be out there in the approaching days.
Each U.S. family is eligible to obtain 4 fast, at-home checks through COVIDtests.gov. As of noon Sept. 24, a discover on the web site nonetheless mentioned it will reopen in “late September.” When it does, merely enter your identify and residential (or residential P.O. Box) tackle, and the U.S. Postal Service will ship the checks to you for gratis.
The unspecified quantity of checks can be found on a first-come, first-served foundation. The web site mentioned each normal—presumably nasal swab—and “more accessible” checks could be out there, however didn’t elaborate on which manufacturers or forms of checks could be on supply.
The federal authorities has distributed greater than 900 million COVID checks by this system for the reason that begin of the coronavirus pandemic, in response to the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), a part of the Department of Health and Human Services. When the company introduced final month that checks could be out there this fall, the program had been suspended since March.
Last yr, COVIDtests.gov reopened on Sept. 25, days after the Biden administration had introduced a $600 million investment in a dozen home check producers. They have been anticipated to supply a mixed 200 million over-the-counter check kits.
Check the expiration dates in your free COVID checks
Don’t be alarmed if the packaging in your checks signifies they’re previous their prime. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains a searchable database of practically 50 totally different at-home checks whose expiration dates have been prolonged.
If even your checks’ prolonged expiration dates have handed, although, the FDA advises towards utilizing them.
“COVID-19 tests and the parts they are made of may degrade, or break down, over time,” the FDA website says. “Because of this, expired test kits could give inaccurate or invalid test results.”
The ASPR assures Americans this newest batch of free checks can be good not less than by the top of the yr.
Do COVID checks detect the brand new XEC variant?
Yes and no. Over-the-counter checks can detect the presence of the coronavirus in your physique, no matter which present variant it stems from, in response to the ASPR. But an at-home check gained’t let you know which variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, you could have.
How a lot do over-the-counter COVID checks value?
It might take just a few weeks to your government-issued COVID checks to reach, so that you’ll must look elsewhere for those who want one instantly.
The excellent news is, check kits are extensively out there at retail pharmacies, big-box shops, and on-line retailers. Medicare covers the costs of checks bought over-the-counter, as do some non-public insurers. If you don’t have medical insurance and are symptomatic or have been uncovered to somebody with COVID, you might go to a federal Increasing Community Access to Testing location at no cost.
Out-of-pocket prices differ relying on the model and variety of checks per bundle. On the CVS web site, for instance, a single FlowFlex test prices $9.99, whereas a four-pack of BinaxNOW tests prices $34.99. Amazon sells a five-pack of iHealth tests for $44.95 and a pair of Boson tests for $9.98, amongst others.
For extra on COVID-19:
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