Households hoping to keep availing of the free COVID-19 test kits, which are mailed to their declared addresses, may have until Friday, September 2, to place an order as the White House has announced it is pausing the program due to lack of funding.
In a brief statement on Covid.gov, the federal government explained the need to suspend the service until further notice because there is no budget for additional supplies. The White House asked Congress for the $22.5 billion funding for its COVID programs, but the decision has resulted in an impasse.
In January, the White House launched the distribution of free COVID-19 test kits via the U.S. Postal Service as the Omicron variant led to a deadly surge in cases. Families who filed their test kit orders online received 16 units, but the government warned that Congress would eventually hamper this distribution.
Families who have not yet claimed their free 16 COVID-19 test kits can still place orders until September 2. They will have to fill out their personal details on the official site and then expect to get an email from the postal services for the delivery updates.
The White House said the remaining COVID-19 test kits will be reserved for distribution later in the year if funds to purchase will still not be available.
Free COVID-19 test kits are still OK with Medicare, Medicaid
However, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre assured the public that they may still avail of a COVID-19 test from their Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance providers. There are also over 1,500 free testing sites in various community-based organizations across the U.S., per NY1.com.
Amesh Adalja of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health and Security said that this move had been expected as the government shifts from subsidizing COVID-19 programs, allowing the commercial market to take over. He said that this transition happens as the U.S. moves to a "state of endemicity," but he hopes the process will not be too disruptive for the public.
On Tuesday, August 30, the federal Department of Health and Human Services will meet with various pharmaceutical company representatives to discuss the transition.
COVID-19 reinfections will keep happening
The news comes as health experts said reinfections and breakthrough infections of the coronavirus are now part of the new normal. In June, White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said that it would no longer be surprising for people to have the infection "more than once a year," per NBC News.
Fewer people vaccinated and boosted are also no longer testing for the virus; some have had symptoms without knowing conclusively if it's a COVID-19 infection. However, Fauci also believes that the coronavirus will become like the seasonal flu where people could catch it every few years or so, as is the nature of viral infections. There is also a silver lining to multiple natural infections as the experts believe the patient's immune response becomes "mature."
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