Free Covid-19 tests will be available once again come late September, the Biden administration announced Friday.
“These tests will help families and their loved ones stay safe this fall and winter season,” Dawn O’Connell, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services, said Friday at a briefing on the upcoming respiratory virus season.
Under the program, four free Covid tests will be available by mail. When the time comes, those who would like the tests can sign up at at Covidtests.gov.
Since the home delivery program started in 2021, more than 900 million tests have been distributed to American households, and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response has further distributed 900 million at-home tests through community-based access points, O'Connell said.
“So as all of you prepare for travel and gatherings with family and the 2024 holiday season, don’t forget to go to Covidtests.gov to order your free tests,” she said.
It comes as Covid rates have risen across most of the country over the summer, fueled by highly contagious new variants. The number of people testing positive for Covid keeps rising and emergency room visits for Covid have risen since mid-May, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Thursday, the wastewater viral activity level for Covid is “very high,” CDC data shows.
Just Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration approved new Covid vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, updated to better match the circulating strains of the virus.