U.S. to offer free COVID tests for winter season

Households across the United States will once again be eligible to order free tests for COVID-19, officials said on Friday, part of planning for the upcoming winter season when respiratory illnesses tend to be at their highest levels.

A notice from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said new orders from the public will be accepted from the end of September. No specific date was given but every household in the U.S. will be eligible to receive 4 free COVID tests.

“The COVID-19 Tests will detect current COVID-19 variants and can be used through the end of the year,” the department said on COVIDtests.gov, where orders can be placed as soon as the program reopens.

The federal government’s program has distributed more than 900 million tests directly to American households since it first opened. Those who placed orders during previous seasons will again be eligible for a new set of tests.

“COVID-19 testing can help you know if you have COVID-19 so you can decide what to do next, like getting treatment to reduce your risk of severe illness and taking steps to lower your chances of spreading the virus to others,” HHS said on its website.

At-home COVID tests can be taken at home or at other locations and provide results within 30 minutes.

The U.S. is currently in the midst of a summer wave of COVID-19, during which no free tests were made available through the federal government’s website. Last week, nearly 170,000 new cases were reported and more than 1,100 new deaths, the highest since March.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved and granted emergency use authorization for updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for the winter season. The updated vaccine targets currently circulating variants and provides better protection against serious illness and death, according to the FDA.

“Given waning immunity of the population from previous exposure to the virus and from prior vaccination, we strongly encourage those who are eligible to consider receiving an updated COVID-19 vaccine to provide better protection against currently circulating variants,” said Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.