The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will
resume offering free at-home
Covid tests to American households Monday as the virus gains a
stronger foothold nationwide.
Americans will soon be able to use
COVIDtests.gov to request four free tests, the administration said in a release.
The government had
offered free test kits through that website since January 2022, but the site
stopped taking orders June 1 of this year to conserve supplies of the tests.
The government is relaunching the program in time for the fall and winter when the virus typically spreads at higher levels. Covid hospitalizations have already increased for eight straight weeks — an uptick primarily driven by newer strains of the virus.
But the Biden administration noted that the at-home tests set to be delivered will detect currently circulating Covid variants.
The kits are intended for use through the end of 2023 and will come with instructions for how people can verify if a test’s
expiration date has been extended, the administration added....