ACL - Administration for Community Living
09/26/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/26/2024 12:48
Available Now: Free At Home COVID 19 Tests, Including More Accessible Option
September 26, 2024
Starting today, every U.S. household can order free at-home COVID-19 tests through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the United States Postal Service (USPS). These tests will detect the currently circulating COVID-19 variants and are intended for use through the end of 2024. Each order will include four tests.
One of the available options is the Orasure InteliSwab test, which is more accessible for people who are blind or have low vision, as well as people who have low manual dexterity.
For more information, including ordering instructions and information about the features that make the InteliSwab test more accessible, please visit ACL.gov/AccessibleTests.
About the Program
This round of ordering follows six previous opportunities to obtain free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests through this program. Since the program began in the winter of 2021, ASPR and USPS have distributed more than 900 million tests, free of charge, to American households nationwide.
These efforts complement ASPR's ongoing distribution of free COVID-19 tests to long-term care facilities, low-income senior housing, aging and disability networks, and other community organizations to support older adults and people with disabilities living in the community, uninsured individuals, and underserved communities. More than 1 billion over-the-counter tests have been provided to date through this community access program.
In addition to collaborating with USPS on ordering and distribution of free COVID-19 tests, ASPR previously invested approximately $600 million across 12 domestic COVID-19 test manufacturers to strengthen the nation's capacity to manufacture these tests, reduce reliance on overseas manufacturing, secure millions of new over-the-counter tests for future use, and improve preparedness for COVID-19 and other pandemic threats of the future.