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Stock up! Biden admin to resume distribution of free at-home COVID tests via US Postal Service [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-09-20

The Biden administration’s free COVID-19 at-home test distribution program will resume on Monday, September 25, according to the program’s website, https://www.covid.gov/tests:

Beginning September 25, every U.S. household can again place an order to receive four more free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered directly to their home.

The program, which was suspended in June to preserve supply, has given out more than three-quarters of a billion free COVID-19 rapid tests so far.

The COVIDtests.gov program has distributed over 755 million tests directly to more than two-thirds of American households, 310 million of which went to households in underserved communities.

Each American household will be eligible to receive four tests, which is good news for my family as we used our last free test just this morning. This comes as another winter COVID season approaches, as reported by the New York Times (free link).

Coronavirus hospitalizations have been on the rise in the United States, though they remain low compared with earlier stretches of the pandemic, and free tests are now harder to come by for many Americans. While private insurers had previously been required to cover up to eight at-home tests per month, that requirement ended when the Biden administration allowed the public health emergency for the coronavirus to expire in May.

For those who haven’t taken advantage of the previous giveaways, I can tell you the process couldn’t be easier. You go to the website, enter your address, and that’s it. Very easy, and completely free.

In the past, there was also a free 800 phone number to call to place your order, as well as a TTY service, but those numbers aren’t yet on the website. I’ll update this diary with that information when it’s available.

As in the past when this program has resumed, the “counter” is being reset, so you’ll be eligible for four more tests even if you’ve previously used up your quota.

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/2023/9/20/2194463/-Stock-up-Biden-admin-to-resume-distribution-of-free-at-home-COVID-tests-via-US-Postal-Service

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