US (Washington Insider Magazine) —Preventing a possible increase in Covid-19 cases due to the winter holidays, the United States government is offering a second round of free online Covid-19 tests.
To request the free tests, people must enter the Covidtests.gov website, available since Monday. Orders will ship free starting the week of November 27th.
According to the information on the official website, households will be able to request up to four tests. However, they clarify that anyone who has not requested a batch of four tests in September will be able to request eight.
The service is free, including shipping. Testing is available for all residential addresses in the US, including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, US territories, and military and diplomatic addresses abroad.
Importantly, all tests distributed as part of this program are FDA-cleared at-home rapid antigen tests. People will not be able to choose the brand.
Likewise, they can only be sent to your home, not elsewhere or to local post offices.
How is the order made?
Tests can be ordered online at COVIDTests.gov.
To place an order, all you need is your name and exact residential address in the United States. No ID, credit card or health insurance information required.
According to the information, you can also share your email address to receive updates about your order.
Tests will be delivered by mail via the US Postal Service. All orders within the continental United States will be shipped via USPS Ground Advantage, according to the website.
Likewise, they detailed that shipments to Alaska, Hawaii, US territories, and military and diplomatic addresses abroad will be sent via Priority Mail.
“Once your order is shipped, you will receive an email with an estimated delivery date and tracking number. You can track the status of your delivery at USPS.com,” the website details.
The tests come with instructions on how to use them.
People who have difficulty accessing the Internet or need additional help placing an order can call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489) for help in English, Spanish and more than 150 languages. more at 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, seven days a week.
“In addition to this program, there are many other options to get tested for free, including thousands of free community testing sites, including pharmacies, across the country,” they detail on the website.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is also distributing free at-home tests to schools, nursing homes, community health centers, rural health clinics, food banks and other community locations to ensure communities have easy access. generalized to testing.
The government suggests that home testing be done in three cases: if there are symptoms of Covid-19; at least 5 days after having close contact with someone infected; when gathering in groups, especially those who are unvaccinated or at risk.
This article is originally published on eldiariony.com
