STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — As the United States looks to curb a possible winter surge of coronavirus cases, the federal government will once again offer free, at-home COVID-19 tests.
Beginning Monday, Sept. 25, every household in the country can place an order to receive four more free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered directly to their home. And if you already have at-home tests, make sure to check if expiration dates have been extended before you throw them away.
Rapid antigen tests can be self-administered. Results are available within 15 to 30 minutes.
How do you order the rapid at-home kits?
Americans can order a test online at COVIDTests.gov or go directly to the United States Postal Service (USPS) at special.usps.com/testkits. The program will limit the number of tests sent to each household to four.
Do you need to pay?
Orders will ship free and will be delivered by USPS through First Class Package Service, with shipments to Alaska, Hawaii and the United States Territories and APO/FPO/DPO addresses sent through Priority Mail.
Once your order is shipped, you will receive an email with an estimated delivery date and a tracking number. You can track the status of your delivery on USPS.com.
What if you don’t have access to the website?
The White House is setting up a phone line to allow people to call in their order. Additionally, national and local community-based organizations will also be helping with providing tests.
People who have difficulty accessing the internet or need additional support placing an order can call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489) to get help in English, Spanish and more than 150 other languages — 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.
Do you need health insurance?
The four tests will be provided free via the website, and health insurance is not required.
When should I test for COVID-19?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), if you have symptoms, test immediately.
If you were exposed to COVID-19 and do not have symptoms,…
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