Federal health officials have announced that free virus testing kits will be mailed to homes starting in late September.
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the United States, federal health officials have announced that free virus testing kits will be mailed to homes starting in late September. According to the U.S. Health and Human Services agency, which oversees the testing, while an exact date for ordering has not yet been announced, most households will be able to request up to four nasal swab tests when the federal program reopens.
Experts say the tests will be able to detect current strains of the virus responsible for the rising numbers and can be ordered before the holiday season when family and friends gather to celebrate, an HHS spokesman said.
Doctors say over-the-counter COVID-19 home tests typically cost around $11.
The announcement also comes at a time when the government has been urging people to get a current COVID-19 booster dose ahead of the fall and winter respiratory virus season. Most Americans have some immunity from previous infections or vaccinations, but data shows that less than a quarter of American adults were vaccinated against COVID-19 last fall. The Biden administration has distributed 1.8 billion COVID-19 tests, including half distributed to households by mail. It’s unclear how many tests the feds have on hand.
The KP.3.1.1 variant is dominant throughout the United States
The world is currently witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases, and the Omicron KP.3.1.1 variant is the dominant strain circulating, according to the CDC. The variant accounts for nearly 37 percent of sample sequences according to the data. Doctors have also raised concerns about lab studies that have shown less protection against the variant in people who have had previous infections or who have been vaccinated.
The CDC has therefore recommended that vulnerable people, such as those over 65 or those with weakened immune systems, get a shot of last year’s version of the vaccine.
New vaccines get approval
Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration announced it had approved updated Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for the fall season. Novavax is expected to get approval for its updated vaccine this year. The CDC recommends that all Americans six months and older receive one dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine by 2024-2025.
The Biden administration has distributed 1.8 billion COVID-19 tests, including half distributed to households by mail. However, according to CBS News, it is unclear how many tests the feds have on hand.
Although deaths and serious infections have declined sharply since COVID-19 began spreading in the United States in 2020, hospitalizations have begun to rise slightly in recent weeks. In total, more than one million Americans have died from the virus.
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