The Biden administration has announced the return of its free at-home Covid-19 testing program, set to relaunch in late September. This initiative will enable American households to request up to four free Covid -19 tests per household through the COVID tests.gov website. The program is being reinstated as Covid-19 cases have surged this summer and to prepare for the expected rise in infections during the fall and winter months.
The free tests will be designed to detect the current Covid-19 variants in circulation, which are primarily offshoots of the omicron variant. This marks the seventh time since the program’s inception in 2021 that the government has offered free over-the-counter tests to the public. Since its launch, the program has distributed over 1.8 billion tests nationwide.
The decision to relaunch the program is in response to a notable increase in Covid-19 cases and high levels of the virus detected in wastewater across nearly all U.S. states. The administration aims to ensure that Americans have access to these tests as they travel and gather indoors during the upcoming holiday season, which traditionally sees higher levels of virus transmission.
Alongside the testing program, updated Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, targeting a newer variant strain, will be available at pharmacies and health clinics. The FDA recently approved these updated vaccines to better protect against the circulating strains of the virus.
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