U.S. suspending free COVID test distribution once again

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Axios

25 mins ago


Americans won't be able to order free COVID tests from the U.S. government again after Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services told Axios Monday.

The big picture: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently eased isolation guidance for the virus and urged older adults to receive a second shot of the updated COVID-19 vaccine.

The HHS's free COVID test program was suspended because of the lowering case rates after the winter respiratory season, though the agency may resume it in the future as needed.

Orders for free tests placed on or before Friday will be delivered, per HHS.

Every home in the U.S. was eligible to order eight tests total since the fall, and more than 1.8 billion have been distributed through COVIDTests.gov and its direct affiliates since the pandemic began.

Where it stands: The HHS's Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response will continue distributing millions of tests per week to long-term care facilities, food banks, health centers and schools, a spokesperson told Axios.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/2024/03/04/free-covid-tests-government-usps-suspended

[AZSkiffyGeek]

1. Tangentially related...

My wife's company sent out a "10 free tests for employees-last chance" e-mail a month ago, so we stocked up.
They had a note saying the gov't advised they were still good for another year after expiration.
The expiration date was Feb. 28 2023.

[Igel]

2. Some are good for longer.

A decent search should bring up brands/manufacturers and lots or batches or production dates.

They're like "sell by" dates. My kid chucks things the day after the "sell by" date.

Including bottled water.

He knows better. But he's so rule-bound that it doesn't matter. Like he prefers non-GMO salt to other brands. (WTF? NaCl's got no DNA!)