Is it a cold? A mild flu? Covid? Time to usher a swab to your snout and rotate it carefully. Thankfully, having a quick Covid test available at home is getting easier, again.
President Biden announced March 1 in his State of the Union address that US residents may again order four free test kits to be delivered straight to the door by the US Postal Service. The first round of free tests began going out in December 2021. If you didn't order in the first round, you can make two orders now for eight tests (the website will prompt you after you make the first order).
“We’ve made hundreds of millions of tests available, and you can order them for free to your doorstep,” said Biden. He plans to ask Congress for a request to fund the initiative.
Biden announced that 75 percent of adult Americans are fully vaccinated and hospitalizations are down by 77 percent. He also said most Americans can remove their masks, stay in the classroom and return to in-person work but warned that we must prepare for new variants and use the tools of vaccines, treatments, tests and masks.
If you need more than the four free kits or can’t wait for the delivery, you can purchase up to eight over-the-counter test kits per month and be reimbursed by your insurance company or Medicaid. Medicare will also cover at-home tests starting this Spring.
Go to covidtests.gov to order your four free tests per household; this reporter set a timer and it took 45 seconds to apply. That site also provides information about reimbursement for purchasing your own kits, and a listing of over 20,000 free testing sites across the US for everyone including uninsured persons.