Free COVID-19 Tests Available Again: Biden Administration Restarts Program in September

Last updated on September 10th, 2024 at 07:36 am

Next month, the Biden administration will restart its program allowing Americans to order free COVID-19 tests by mail. Starting in late September, people can order four free tests per household through the Covidtests.gov website, with tests delivered directly to their homes.

“These tests will help keep families safe this fall and winter,” said Dawn O’Connell, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This will be the seventh time the administration has offered free tests in the past three years.

This announcement follows the approval of updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, as the U.S. faces a summer surge in infections from new variants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone aged 6 months and older receive the updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines.

Additionally, the antiviral Paxlovid will be available for free to people on Medicare, Medicaid, and those uninsured through the end of 2024. From 2025 to 2028, Pfizer will offer a patient assistance program for uninsured or underinsured individuals. Pfizer will also have a copay assistance program for those with commercial insurance through 2028. Merck will provide a similar program for its antiviral drug Lagevrio for the uninsured. Both drugs help treat COVID-19 infections.

Although winter typically sees higher levels of the virus, this summer has seen a significant increase in infections. CDC Director Mandy Cohen said that although viral activity is increasing, the number of emergency visits or hospitalizations has not increased because of vaccines and immunity from previous infections.

Cohen mentioned that while COVID-19 remains more dangerous than the flu, the goal is to encourage annual COVID-19 vaccinations alongside flu shots. “Getting a COVID-19 vaccine while getting your flu shot is ideal,” said Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.