USPS To Start Shipping Free COVID-19 Tests: How To Order

As new strains of coronavirus become present in communities, the need for at-home testing increases. Therefore, the United States Postal Service will once again begin shipping free COVID-19 tests to United States residents who request them. 

“U.S. households will be eligible to order 4 free COVID-19 tests at COVIDTests.gov. The COVID-19 tests will detect current COVID-19 variants and can be used through the end of the year,” the HHS website stated.

These at-home tests will determine if someone is infected with the virus. If someone tests positive, proper precautions can be taken so that those individuals can recover safely. Infected people should stay home, isolate from others, and seek follow-up care with a healthcare provider.

Results can usually be seen within 30 minutes of taking the tests. When administered according to package directions, these tests are effective in detecting the virus. However, the FDA suggests that patients who are experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to someone with the virus take more than one test.

The Virus That Causes COVID Constantly Changes

Free COVID-19 tests are back for fall 2024. Here's how to get them. https://t.co/zRpvG26kbv

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) September 23, 2024

The CDC reports, “SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is constantly changing and accumulating mutations in its genetic code over time. New variants of SARS-CoV-2 are expected to continue to emerge. Some variants will emerge and disappear, while others will emerge and continue to spread and may replace previous variants.”

The CDC uses genomic surveillance to indicate different types of COVID mutations. These changing variants need to be carefully monitored, and vaccines created to effectively combat them. Currently, the COVID variant KP.3.1.1 accounts for more than half of positive infections in the United States.

Since its launch in 2021, over 900 million tests have been shipped to households across the U.S., with an additional 900 million distributed to community centers like food banks, libraries, and long-term care facilities, according to Today.

The HHS has not yet provided an exact date when ordering for the free COVID tests will begin. However, the website says that ordering will likely begin in late September.