US ends free COVID test kit distribution - last day to place an order is today

After tomorrow, March 8, Americans can no longer order free at-home COVID-19 tests, accoring to US health officials.

Before the deadline, Americans can order four free rapid antigen tests through COVID.gov or USPS. 

According to the ASPR (Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response), a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services, all orders placed on or before Friday will be fulfilled.

“ASPR has delivered over 1.8 billion free COVID-19 tests to the American people through COVID.gov and direct distribution pathways and will continue distributing millions of tests per week to long-term care facilities, food banks, health centers and schools,” an ASPR spokesperson told CNN.

Many Americans relied on at-home tests during the pandemic to get their results versus going to the doctor’s office. The change comes now due to the decrease in COVID cases and public health emergency of the pandemci claiming it's been over since May 2023.

People may notice as they receive their home test kits an expired date on the packaging but the US Food and Drug Administration has extended those expiration dates.

For example, a box with a printed expiration date of “2022-10-08” has been extended to “2023-08-08,” according to the FDA. Overall, the testing kits should work through the end of the year, they said.

Households can order two sets of COVID-19 tests if they haven’t placed an order

The CDC encourages people to use the at-home kits if they notice any COVID-19 symptoms such as shortness of breath, cough, fever or chills.

The CDC also rolled back its five-day isolation guidance for people who have contracted COVID-19.

The report revealed that “under the updated guidelines, the CDC says those infected with the coronavirus can return to work or the public just one full day after their fever subsides.”