Free at home Covid-19 tests services back in US: Here's all you need to know

NEW DELHI: As the cases of Covid-19 variant is increasing across the US, the federal government is back with its offer for a free-home test.

The Biden administration has restarted the program this month, after a brief pause to conserve test supplies. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the program, has started taking orders again for the at-home COVID-19 tests through the COVIDTests.gov website.

The tests will be shipped by the United States Postal Service and are expected to begin arriving as early as next week.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, U.S. taxpayers have invested billions of dollars in the development and purchase of COVID-19 tests and vaccines. The Biden administration has distributed 1.8 billion COVID-19 tests, with half of them being sent directly to households by mail. The number of tests still available to the government remains unclear.

How many services are free?

Every US household is eligible to order at least 4 free at-home tests. Your order of COVID tests is completely free – you won’t even pay for shipping. The shipping tests will start the week of September 30. Want to know when your tests are coming? Sign up to receive email alerts when you order!

Here's how you can order free COVID test kits for yourself

• Go to the portal https://www.covid.gov/tests
• Enter your name
• Enter your residential address. No identification, credit card, or health insurance information is required.
• Optionally, you can share your email address to get updates on your order.

The tests available for order:

• Are rapid antigen at-home tests, not PCR
• Can be taken at home or other locations. Give results within 30 minutes (no lab drop-off required)
• Can be used for testing even if you do not have COVID-19 symptoms
• Can be used for testing whether you are up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines or not
• Are also referred to as self-tests or over the counter (OTC) tests

Test Results: Positive

If you are tested positive then talk to a doctor as soon as possible about available treatment options. Use the ASPR Treatments Locator to find pharmacies, clinics, and other locations with safe and effective COVID-19 medications.