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Free at-home COVID tests are available again from the federal government via USPS [1]

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Date: 2022-12-15

C'mon, it's Christmas. Don't be so testy.

Just in time for the Tripledemic, the Biden administration has resumed its free at-home COVID test distribution program. Beginning today, every household in America is eligible to receive four COVID-19 tests.

Free shipments by the U.S. Postal Service will begin December 19, but you can order yours now at https://www.covid.gov/tests.

You can also call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).

The program was paused in September — after distributing over 600 million tests — to ensure there would be enough available this winter. Funding was also an issue, however.

The White House said it would use existing funding to pay for the tests since it has been unsuccessful so far in getting Congress to pass a bill to put more money toward the U.S. COVID-19 response. “We knew there will be a moment later in the year when COVID cases would rise again. So we preserved the tests so we could have them on hand for exactly this moment," White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha said on Thursday. "And if we don't get more funding, we won't be able to send more tests out to the American people." COVID-19 cases have risen significantly over the past couple of weeks, and the United States is experiencing probably the worst flu season in a decade, Jha said. The good news, he added, was evidence that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases have been coming down.

More free at-home tests will also be supplied to food banks and federally subsidized housing for seniors.

By the way — the expiration dates for many COVID test kits have been extended. Before throwing out any old tests, check this list to see if they’re still usable.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/12/15/2142106/-Free-at-home-COVID-tests-are-available-again-from-the-federal-government-via-USPS

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