Need Additional Free COVID Test Kits? Order Them from the Government

Back in January, we were given the opportunity to order at-home COVID-19 test kits from the U.S. Post Office. The government was working with the postal service to make these kits available free of charge.

In his State of the Union address last week, President Joe Biden announced that additional free test kits are now available. Beginning this week, you can order an additional set of four tests. Once again, these test kits will be free of charge.

These additional at-home rapid Covid-19 antigen tests are made available as part of the Biden administration's effort to increase coronavirus testing.

How to Order Additional At-Home COVID Test Kits

The ordering process is pretty simple. You order them just like you did the original test kits. To order your COVID at-home test kits, go to www.covidtests.gov.

How Many COVID Test Kits Have Been Delivered?

Last week, the Postal Service said that it had delivered 270 million tests in 68 million packages to households here in the United States. Those shipments began in January.

Also in his State of the Union address, President Biden announced a "test-to-treat" program. This program will enable pharmacists to issue prescriptions for antiviral pills on the spot for those who test positive for COVID.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data on COVID testing late last week. As of last Friday, March 4th, 2022, an average of 3.8% of COVID tests were coming back positive nationally.

News About COVID At Home Test Kits

Since the test kits were made available in January, there have been some questions about whether they would still work after sitting in your mailbox in freezing temperatures.

There was also some concern that part of the test kits might be poisonous. The problem was with the extraction tube which contained the chemical sodium azide. This chemical is a liquid reagent used as a preservative. The National Capital Poison Center reports that “Sodium azide is a very potent poison."