Americans will soon be able to order another round of free COVID-19 tests from the U.S. government.
U.S. households will be eligible to order up to four free COVID-19 tests at COVIDTests.gov. The tests will detect current COVID-19 variants and can be used through the end of the year, the U.S. Health Department announced Monday.
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The website is not currently open for ordering and the agency did not give an exact date for when the the tests would become available. However, it said that the tests were "coming soon" at the "end of September."
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.
The kits, which will ship to your address for free, include rapid antigen tests. At-home COVID tests typically provide results within 30 minutes or less and can be given to both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. The FDA says that a positive test result means you very likely have the virus.
If you test negative but are experiencing symptoms, the FDA recommends taking a second test 48 hours later. For those who have been exposed, three tests are recommended, even if you don’t have symptoms.
If you test positive and are at high risk for severe COVID-19 (age 50 and over or you have a weakened immune system or other health conditions), talk to a doctor as soon as possible about available treatment options.
If you still have unopened COVID tests in your medicine cabinet, many have extended expiration dates. If you think your COVID-19 test may have expired, check the FDA's website for updated information.
So far, the government has distributed more than 900 million free COVID-19 tests.
The CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 this fall and winter whether or not they have ever previously been vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine.
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