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After a summer of skyrocketing COVID-19 cases, the Department of Health will continue to send out free tests to ease the financial burden of purchasing kits out of pocket.
Starting September 25, you can request up to four rapid tests per household via COVID.org. This batch has a shelf life until the end of 2023. HHS has also released a list of tests with extended expiration dates. Therefore, check whether the tests you have are still usable.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that cases have been rising again since July, just two months after the public health emergency was declared over in May.
“We know if past is prologue, it will circulate and spread at higher rates, and cases will increase in the fall and winter seasons,” said Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at HHS. “In anticipation of this happening again or something similar, we want to make sure the American people have these tools.”
Hospitals saw a 7.7% increase in COVID-related admissions and a 4.3% increase in deaths. HHS stopped sending out free tests in May and is resuming its efforts due to a resurgence of the virus.
A $600 million investment will be used to develop and distribute 200 million rapid home tests.
“These critical investments will strengthen our nation’s production of rapid, domestic COVID-19 home tests and help contain the spread of the virus,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said, according to Engadget.
HHS has distributed more than 755 million tests to two-thirds of U.S. households, including 310 million households in underserved communities. Visit the HRSA Health Center, Test to Treat, or an ICATT location to find low-cost or free COVID-19 testing at an outreach center near you. The CDC also recommends getting a booster shot every six months.