Move comes as the stockpile of test kits is shrinking and fewer Americans are testing for COVID-19<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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MONDAY, Aug. 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) — The days of getting free COVID-19 tests by mail are drawing to a close.<\/p>\n
The Biden administration plans to stop sending test kits to Americans on Sept. 2 in order to reserve remaining tests for a fall surge. Lack of funding from Congress is the reason for the change, NBC News<\/em> reported, citing an unnamed senior administration official.<\/p>\n “If Congress provides funding, we will expeditiously resume distribution of free tests through covid.gov<\/a>,” the source said. “Until then, we believe reserving the remaining tests for distribution later this year is the best course.”<\/p>\n The move comes as the stockpile of test kits is shrinking and fewer Americans are testing for COVID-19, though many may have been infected and even reinfected without knowing for sure. Anthony Fauci, M.D.,<\/a> the president’s chief medical adviser, has said he believes the COVID-19 virus could become seasonal like the flu.<\/p>\n The government has distributed an estimated 600 million tests since the program began. “The administration has been clear about our urgent COVID-19 response funding needs,” the administration official told NBC News<\/em>. “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.”<\/p>\n Though ordering tests from the federal government will not be possible, many people in the United States will still be able to test<\/a> for free or to get reimbursement through private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid.<\/p>\n