The Biden administration has announced that it will be resuming the distribution of free at-home Covid-19 tests to American households starting in late September. This decision comes as the virus continues to spread rapidly throughout the country during the summer months. Officials have shared that Americans will be able to request up to four free tests through the COVIDtests.gov website. These tests are specifically designed to detect the various variants of Covid that are currently circulating, with many of them being related to the highly contagious omicron variant JN.1.
During a recent briefing, Dawn O’Connell, an assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Health and Human Services Department, emphasized that these free tests will play a crucial role in keeping families and their loved ones safe as we head into the fall and winter season. This initiative marks the seventh time in the last three years that the Biden-Harris administration has made free at-home Covid-19 tests available to the public through the government’s website. Since the program’s inception in 2021, it has distributed over 1.8 billion tests to Americans across the country.
The decision to relaunch the free testing program comes at a time when there has been a notable increase in Covid cases during the summer months. The CDC has reported a “high” or “very high” level of Covid detected in wastewater in almost every state, highlighting the urgency of the situation. Authorities have chosen to reopen the program in late September in anticipation of the upcoming fall and winter seasons, when the virus typically spreads more rapidly.
David Boucher, the director of infectious disease preparedness and response at HHS, explained that reopening the program in late September aligns with the timeline of increased travel and indoor gatherings among Americans. As people begin to travel and reunite with friends and family members during the holidays, having access to these free tests will be crucial in ensuring their safety. Additionally, by the time the program relaunches, the latest round of Covid shots from Pfizer and Moderna will be widely available in pharmacies, health clinics, and other locations nationwide. These shots, which target the JN.1 offshoot known as KP.2, were recently approved by the FDA.
Testing remains a critical tool in controlling the spread of Covid as infections continue to rise across the country. With lab PCR tests becoming more expensive and less accessible for some Americans, the availability of free at-home tests will be instrumental in helping individuals monitor their health and detect potential infections early on. The Biden administration’s proactive approach to making testing resources more widely available reflects a commitment to safeguarding public health and preventing further outbreaks.