The Biden administration is allocating US$600 million in funding to expand the production of at-home COVID-19 tests and is relaunching its online ordering service to allow American households easy access to the tests. This move comes as signs indicate an increase in COVID-19 cases. Starting from September 25, orders can be placed at COVIDTests.gov, and the United States Postal Service will deliver the tests for free. Each household can order up to four free tests under this program.
This funding will be given to 12 manufacturers who will produce a total of 200 million over-the-counter tests. These tests will not only replenish federal stockpiles for government use but also meet public demand through the online ordering system. The aim is to prevent any supply chain issues that have caused shortages of at-home COVID tests in the past, particularly those made overseas during previous surges in cases.
As of September 9, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported an almost eight percent increase in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 compared to the previous week. Although this increase is lower than previous surges, Europe and Canada are also experiencing a rise in cases, according to epidemiological data.
Dawn O’Connell, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, mentioned that the COVID-19 test ordering website will remain functional throughout the holidays. The website may continue to remain open even longer if there is a significant increase in cases. The tests are designed to detect the COVID variants currently in circulation and will be intended for use by the end of the year. The department will include instructions on how to verify extended expiration dates.
In contrast to the U.S. program, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has been distributing at-home tests directly to provinces and territories, who then supply them to pharmacies for residents to order for free. PHAC has over 90 million at-home COVID-19 tests in its federal stockpile, with approximately 700,000 tests set to expire by the end of the year. The Canadian government is working with provinces and territories to ensure the availability of these tests for Canadians free of charge.
The U.S. has ordered over 811 million rapid tests since the start of the pandemic, amounting to a cost of about $5 billion. Out of these, 680 million tests were distributed to provinces and territories, with nearly 500 million tests going to pharmacies for public use, businesses, community groups, and government offices. Approximately 187 million tests are still in provincial and territorial inventories as of July.
The U.S. initiative is the fifth round of test distribution. In the previous rounds, federal officials and the U.S. Postal Service provided over 755 million tests for free nationwide. This new effort is meant to complement existing federal initiatives to provide free COVID tests to long-term care facilities, schools, low-income senior housing, uninsured individuals, and underserved communities. These initiatives are already distributing 4 million tests per week and have distributed a total of 500 million tests to date.
Manufacturers who receive the new funding will have 18 months to produce the 200 million tests designated for federal use. Both the U.S. and Canada have approved updated COVID-19 vaccines to protect against new variants of the virus for the upcoming fall and winter seasons.
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