Beginning in November, residential households in the US were able to place orders. Covidtests.gov Rapid antigen tests for four individuals. All orders placed on or before Friday. It will be fulfilledAccording to ASPR, a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
“ASPR has provided more than 1.8 billion free COVID-19 tests to the American public through COVIDTests.gov and live streaming channels, and will continue to distribute millions of tests per week to long-term care facilities, food banks, health centers and schools. An ASPR spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday.
The decision to suspend the program’s sixth run comes at a time when the country’s respiratory virus season is declining and the number of COVID-19 cases is falling, the agency said.
Last month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the worst of the season may be over, but warned that levels of Covid-19 would remain high across the country.
“While the respiratory virus season may be past its peak, it is certainly not over,” the agency said. he said.. There is still a lot of respiratory virus activity, so now is not the time to let our guard down.
The rate of hospitalizations linked to Covid-19 is high but declining in some parts of the country, CDC says. Data It shows. Thousands of people are still hospitalized each week with Covid-19: more than 17,000 in the week ending February 24, according to the CDC.
An ASPR spokesperson said the agency reserves the right to reopen the testing program if necessary.
The government had previously suspended the rapid test distribution program in May after the end of the Covid-19 public health emergency. It reopened on September 25.
Residents who have not placed an order since then can now place two, making a total of eight tests, according to the US Postal Service. Each order includes four rapid antigen tests for Covid-19.
These tests can be taken at home and can be used even if a person has symptoms. The exams should be done at the end of the year; Some of the dates on the labels may indicate that they have expired, but the US Food and Drug Administration They extended those days.
CDC He advises people to try If you have any Covid-19-like symptoms, including sore throat, runny nose, loss of smell or taste, or fever.
People may want to be tested before being part of a large event, such as a concert or conference, especially if they are not up to date on their vaccinations. Antiviral drugs are available to treat both Covid-19 and the flu, and testing can help determine which one is needed.
More information about free trial resources is available at Covidtests.gov site or at 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).
CNN’s Deid McPhillips contributed to this report.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated ASPR.