Free at-home COVID-19 tests: U.S. households can order second round of kits next week
File photo. (Credit: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
President Joe Biden says Americans will be able to order more free COVID-19 tests starting next week.
"If you already ordered free tests, tonight, I am announcing you can order another group of tests," Biden said during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night. "Go to COVIDtests.gov starting next week, and you can get more tests."
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In mid-Jaunary, every home in the U.S. became eligible to order a package of four free rapid antigen at-home COVID-19 tests, delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.
Nearly half of the 500 million free COVID-19 tests still have not been claimed. The White House says Americans have placed 68 million orders for packages of tests, which leaves about 46% of the stock of tests still available to be ordered.
On the first day of the White House test giveaway in January, COVIDtests.gov received over 45 million orders. Now officials say fewer than 100,000 orders are coming in a day.
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COVIDtests.gov has been updated to reflect the next round of free tests that will become available for order next week. Households that still haven’t ordered their first round of tests still can.
For those who need more tests, private insurers are now required to cover eight free rapid tests per person, per month. Medicare coverage will start in the spring.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.