More free COVID-19 tests can be ordered through mail, government says

On the heels of a summer wave of COVID-19 cases, Americans will be able to get free virus test kits mailed to their homes, starting in late September.

U.S. households will be able to order up to four COVID-19 nasal swab tests when the federal program reopens, according to the website, COVIDtests.gov. The U.S. Health and Human Services agency that oversees the testing has not announced an exact date for ordering to begin.

The tests will detect current virus strains and can be ordered ahead of the holiday season when family and friends gather for celebrations, an HHS spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Over-the-counter COVID-19 at-home tests typically cost around $11, as of last year.

The announcement also comes as the government is once again urging people to get an updated COVID-19 booster, ahead of the fall and winter respiratory virus season.

Earlier this week the FDA announced it had greenlit updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna for the 2024 fall season. Novavax is expected to get approval for its updated vaccine this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all Americans ages 6 months and older get a shot of the "updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine."

Vaccine uptake is waning, however. Most Americans have some immunity from prior infections or vaccinations, but data shows under a quarter of U.S. adults took last fall's COVID-19 shot.

The Biden administration has given out 1.8 billion COVID-19 tests, including half distributed to households by mail. It's unclear how many tests the feds have on hand.

Tens of billions of tax-payer dollars have been used to develop COVID-19 tests, vaccines and treatments.

Although deaths and serious infections have dropped dramatically since COVID-19 started its U.S. spread in 2020, hospitalizations have started to slightly creep up in recent weeks. In total, more than 1 million Americans have died from the virus.