The Biden administration has announced a revival of its program to provide free Covid-19 tests through mail, anticipating a possible surge in the winter. The administration will allocate $600 million to purchase tests from domestic manufacturers.
Starting Monday, individuals can place orders for four tests on the program’s website, covidtests.gov. Dawn O’Connell, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services, stated that the funding will cover the purchase of 200 million tests to replenish the nation’s stockpile as the tests are distributed.
In addition to addressing the need for free tests, the program will also contribute to bolstering domestic manufacturing capacity in case of a serious surge. If demand rises, manufacturers have been given permission to sell tests directly to retailers before government distribution.
Although Covid-19 hospitalizations have surged in the United States, the availability of free tests has become limited for many Americans. Previously, private insurers were required to cover up to eight at-home tests per month. However, this requirement was nullified when the Biden administration allowed the public health emergency for the coronavirus to expire in May.
Last year, the administration initially introduced the program to distribute free at-home tests through the Postal Service in response to the Omicron variant surge. Over 600 million tests were distributed before funding constraints led to the suspension of the program in late summer. The program was resumed later in the year before being halted again in the spring.
The announcement coincided with Health Secretary Xavier Becerra’s efforts to encourage interest in the newly approved Covid-19 vaccines. Becerra received his own Covid and flu shots at a CVS pharmacy in Washington, accompanied by the chief executives of Pfizer and Moderna. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently recommended that all Americans aged six months and older receive at least one dose of the reformulated vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
During the event, Becerra shared his personal experience and mentioned his 90-year-old mother, who has not contracted Covid-19. He expressed his confidence in the vaccines’ effectiveness and emphasized the importance of collective protection, stating, “No one is safe until everyone is safe.”
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