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Free Covid-19 tests are available again. Here’s how to get them

Free Covid-19 tests are available again. Here’s how to get them

Vaseline 1 month ago



CNN

People in the United States can now order more free COVID-19 tests from the federal government as the country heads into a season of high respiratory infections with high levels of the coronavirus already circulating.

Each household is eligible for four home test kits, which can be requested starting today at COVIDTests.gov . They will be shipped free of charge via the U.S. Postal Service starting next week.

This is the seventh round of distribution for the program. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 900 million free tests have been delivered directly to U.S. residents since it began in winter 2021.

The rapid antigen tests take around 30 minutes to give results. This next wave of tests will be able to detect currently circulating variants and can be used to test people who have Covid-19 symptoms and those who do not, and people who are up to date on their Covid-19 vaccination and those who are not.

“Reopening this popular program is the latest step by the Biden-Harris administration to ensure that COVID-19 testing is available without a prescription to everyone who wants it this fall and winter,” Dawn O’Connell, HHS assistant secretary for preparedness and response, said in a statement. “Before you visit your family and friends this holiday season, get a rapid test and help protect them from COVID-19.”

The available tests also include an option with features that make it more accessible to people with disabilities that affect dexterity or vision. More information about ordering these tests is available at ACL.gov/AccessibleTests.

“COVID-19 testing can help you know if you have COVID-19 so you can decide what to do next, such as getting treatment to reduce your risk of serious illness and taking steps to reduce your chance of spreading the virus to others,” according to the HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.

To help limit the spread of Covid-19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that people who test positive stay home and away from others until they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours.

The US Food and Drug Administration advises people to take multiple rapid tests to make sure they don’t have Covid-19: two negative tests for people with symptoms and three for people without symptoms. These tests are performed 48 hours apart.

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The CDC also recommends that everyone 6 months or older get an updated Covid-19 vaccination this season to stay current.

This year, there are multiple options available; mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer have been updated to target KP.2, one of the so-called FLiRT variants that have been dominant in the U.S. since May. Those vaccines are for people 6 months and older. A more traditional protein vaccine from Novavax is also available, but that targets JN.1, a variant that’s still circulating but less prominent than a few months ago. The Novavax vaccine is only approved for people 12 and older.

The updated Covid-19 vaccines are now available at pharmacies in the US and can be gotten at the same time as the annual flu shot.

“The best plan this winter is for everyone to remain vigilant and use the tools we have: vaccines, testing and treatments for the diseases that account for the most deaths and hospitalizations this fall and winter,” CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said last week.

CNN’s Brenda Goodman contributed to this report.