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<http://apnews.com>
Get free COVID-19 tests through the mail again | AP News
AMANDA SEITZ
November 20, 2023

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans can order more free COVID-19 tests online for
home delivery.

The U.S. government is offering to send another round of four at-home
virus tests ahead of the typical surge in cases during the winter holiday season.

Anyone who did not order a batch of four COVID-19 tests in September can
secure up to eight of them this time around starting Monday at
COVIDtests.gov. The U.S. Postal Service will deliver them for free.

The government is mailing out the coronavirus tests as the the flu season
kicks off and a spike in RSV cases has been reported in some spots around
the country. Hospitalizations for COVID-19, which has killed more than 1 million people in the United States, were on the rise this fall but have
stayed steady in recent weeks. Immunity from previous vaccinations and infections has kept case counts lower compared with other years.
FILE - This electron microscope image provided by the National Institutes
of Health shows human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) virions, colorized blue, and anti-RSV F protein/gold antibodies, colorized yellow, shedding
from the surface of human lung cells. RSV infections are rising sharply in
some parts of the country, nearly filling hospital emergency departments
in Georgia, Texas and some other states. To help counter the surge,
federal officials on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, announced they were
releasing 77,000 doses of a new RSV shot for newborns that have been in
short supply. (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH
via AP, File)

The new release of free COVID-19 nasal swab tests also comes ahead of the
first winter since the pandemic started that insurers are no longer
required to cover the cost of them. On average, at-home tests now cost $11
out of pocket, according to an analysis by the nonprofit health research
firm KFF.

The Food and Drug Administration also approved updated COVID-19 vaccines
in September in the hopes of revving up protection for Americans this
winter. The shots target an omicron descendant named XBB.1.5, replacing
older vaccines that targeted the original coronavirus strain and a much
earlier omicron version. Shots are recommended for everyone age 6 months
or older, but uptake has been slow.

U.S. taxpayers have spent tens of billions of dollars to develop COVID-19 tests, vaccines and treatments in the three years since the pandemic
started.



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