While many Americans were happy for the free at-home COVID tests being offered by the government, you know what they say that nothing lasts forever. It even applies to these tests and, hopefully, to the pandemic itself.
On Friday, September 2, the US government will stop sending those free COVID tests to the population, as CNBC reveals. The reason consists of not having enough congressional funding.
The US government reserves the remaining tests for later distribution
The government was mailing COVID tests for free to those in need and who requested them via covidtests.gov. They now have only less than a week left to get their free test for the coronavirus.
An official source provided the following statement, as CNBC quotes:
The administration has been clear about our urgent Covid-19 response funding needs,
We have warned that congressional inaction would force unacceptable tradeoffs and harm our overall Covid-19 preparedness and response — and that the consequences would likely worsen over time.
The covidtests.org page says:
If you need a COVID-19 test now, are looking for another type of COVID-19 test, or need more tests than covidtests.gov provides, the resources below are available.
The website refers to at-home tests that people can find in pharmacies and retailers, insurance reimbursement for at-home tests, or the over 20,000 free testing sites that are available. The presentation says that so many sites nationwide can offer free antigen and PCR COVID tests to everyone in the US, whether they are insured or not.
There’s still a theoretical chance that Congress might save the situation and provide extra funding in order for the tests to still be shipped. That appears to be the only chance for the government’s decision to be revoked.
