After an upswing COVID-19 infections, The US government plans to roll back a program that gives residents free covid-19 tests through the mail.
The Biden administration disclosed on Friday free tests would be available again from the end of September.
“These tests will help families and their loved ones stay safe this fall and winter season,” Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services, said at a briefing on the upcoming respiratory virus season.
Households will be able to order up to four covid-19 nasal samples at COVIDtests.gov when the federal program reopens, according to the website.
The announcement also comes as the government again urges people to get an updated COVID-19 booster, ahead of the fall and winter respiratory virus season. Earlier this week, US regulators approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine designed to fight the latest strains of the virus and, hopefully, this coming winter as well.
Most Americans have some immunity from previous infections or vaccinations, but data show that less than a quarter of American adults received last fall’s COVID-19 shot.