Free At-Home COVID Tests Are Coming Back

The postal service’s escaped COVID trial programme is coming back, starting Monday, September 25, 2023. On that date, you’ll beryllium capable to sojourn COVIDTests.gov and petition a four-test bundle to beryllium sent to your home, escaped of charge.

Can I get the escaped COVID tests adjacent if I got immoderate before?

Yes, this is different circular of offerings. You tin get 1 four-test bundle per household, careless of whether you person gotten escaped tests from the programme before.

How soon volition I person the tests?

It’s not wide however agelong it volition instrumentality the authorities to battalion up and message the tests, but erstwhile they’re connected their way, they’ll get quickly—by archetypal people for astir of the U.S., and by Priority Mail for Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. territories, and APO/FPO/DPO addresses. If you participate an email code arsenic you’re checking out, you’ll get a shipment notification and a tracking fig erstwhile they ship.

Can I usage my aged COVID tests successful the meantime?

Possibly! First, cheque your aged tests for an expiration date. If they haven’t expired yet, you’re good. If the expiration day is successful the past, though, don’t flip them conscionable yet. First, cheque the FDA’s database of expiration day extensions for COVID tests.

Search for the marque sanction connected that page; if the expiration day was extended, determination volition beryllium a nexus to a PDF. Control-F to hunt successful that papers for the batch number, and you’ll beryllium capable to spot the caller expiration date. I person 2 antithetic brands of trial near implicit from the past circular of escaped tests, and some had their expiration dates extended agelong capable that I’ll beryllium capable to usage them this winter.

Will the tests enactment connected existent COVID variants?

Yes. Some tests execute amended than others with the strains of the microorganism that are presently going around. The tests you tin bid from COVIDTests.gov are ones that tin observe the presently circulating variants. If you privation to spot whether your aged tests volition inactive work, the FDA has a database here of tests that are expected to person “reduced performance” successful detecting caller strains. So far, lone 1 marque of accelerated trial (Xtrava SPERA) made the list, truthful different brands are expected to enactment arsenic usual.