In an effort to increase coronavirus testing, the Biden administration is allowing people in the United States to order an additional four at-home rapid COVID-19 tests for free.
President Biden announced in his State of the Union address that starting this week, people would be eligible to order a second round of tests, CNN reported.
The initial test giveaway began in January, and on the first day it opened there were more than 45 million orders, CBS News reported. But months later, nearly half of the 500 million free tests that were made available have not been claimed, CBS News reported.
The tests are available to order at Covidtests.gov, and will be distributed by the United States Postal Service. In a news release last week, USPS said it had delivered more than 270 million tests kits to households across the country.
In his State of the Union address, Biden also announced a “test to treat” program for pharmacies, which would allow pharmacists to prescribe antiviral medications on the spot for people who have tested positive for coronavirus, NBC News reported.
Private insurance companies are now required to cover eight free rapid tests per person each month, and Medicare coverage will start in the spring, CBS News reported.
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