WASHINGTON (AP) — The U. S. government’s flexible COVID-19 home program will be suspended Friday, according to the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.
Starting in November, residential families in the U. S. They can place an order at COVIDtests. gov for four individual immediate antigen tests. All orders placed through Friday will be fulfilled, according to the agency, an operating department of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. U. S.
“ASPR has provided more than 1. 8 billion free COVID-19 tests to the American public through COVIDTests. gov and direct distribution channels and will continue to distribute millions of tests weekly to long-term care facilities, food banks, gyms, and schools. A company spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday.
The decision to suspend the sixth day of the program comes amid a decline in COVID-19 cases as the country’s respiratory virus season comes to an end, according to the agency.
Last month, the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report on the U. S. Department of Disease Control and Prevention. U. S. officials said the worst of the season was likely behind them, but warned that COVID-19 degrees remained high across the country.
“While respiratory virus season has likely passed its peak, it is not over,” the company said. “There’s still a lot of respiratory virus activity, so now is not the time to let our guard down. “
COVID-19 hospitalization rates remain high but are declining in some parts of the country, according to CDC data. Still, thousands of people are hospitalized weekly due to COVID-19 — more than 17,000 in the week ending Feb. 24, according to the CDC.
A spokesperson for the company said the company reserves the right to reopen the program if necessary.
In the past, the government had suspended the immediate check distribution program in May after the COVID-19 public fitness emergency ended. It was reopened on September 25.
Residents who haven’t placed an order since then can now place two, which will supply 8 tests in total, according to the U. S. Postal Service. U. S. Each order includes 4 immediate COVID-19 antigen tests.
These tests can be performed at home and can be used regardless of whether the user has symptoms or not. Testing is expected to take place until the end of the year; Some dates on labels may imply that they have expired, however, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration has ruled that they have expired. The U. S. government has extended those dates.
The CDC recommends that others check for symptoms of COVID-19, such as a sore throat, runny nose, loss of smell or taste, or fever.
People may also need to get tested before attending a giant event, such as a concert or conference, especially if they are not up to date on their vaccinations. Antiviral medications should be available to treat COVID-19 and influenza, and testing can help which ones are needed.
You can learn more about testing resources available on COVIDtests. gov or by calling 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).
Contributor: Deidre McPhillips