The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will resume distributing free at-home COVID-19 test kits as COVID-19 cases rise again. The White House allocated $600 million to purchase these test kits.
US to Resume Distributing Free At-Home COVID Tests
Starting September 25, the HHS will provide free at-home COVID-19 tests again. The Verge reported that these test kits are intended for use until the end of the year. Like previous iterations of the free test program, each kit will contain four tests and instructions for confirming extended expiration dates.
In collaboration with the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), HHS is committing $600 million to support 12 American COVID-19 test manufacturers. Additionally, COVIDTests.gov will be relaunched to distribute free COVID-19 tests to households nationwide.
These substantial investments in domestic manufacturing will enhance the nation's readiness to address COVID-19 and potential future pandemics.
They will bolster the country's testing production capabilities and secure approximately 200 million new over-the-counter COVID-19 tests for future federal government utilization.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said: "The Biden-Harris Administration, in partnership with domestic manufacturers, has made great strides in addressing vulnerabilities in the US supply chain by reducing our reliance on overseas manufacturing."
These strategic investments will not only improve the production of at-home COVID-19 rapid tests but also contribute to controlling the virus's spread. The 12 US manufacturing companies nationwide will also provide jobs to hundreds of workers.
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O'Connell emphasized that manufacturing COVID-19 tests in the country enhances readiness for the upcoming fall and winter seasons while reducing reliance on foreign sources.
Ultimately, these investments are expected to increase the availability of tests in the future, further strengthening the nation's pandemic response efforts.
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Increasing COVID-19 Hospitalizations
The previous government initiative offering free test kits concluded on May 31 as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations decreased. However, hospitalizations have been on the rise since July, as reported by The New York Times' COVID-19 tracker.
According to US News, COVID-19 hospitalizations have been rising in the US for nine weeks. The number of hospital admissions during the week ending September 9 has already reached more than 20,500, an increase of almost 8 percent from the prior week.
It is worth noting that while hospitalizations have increased, they remain relatively low compared to earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic when weekly related deaths were in the tens of thousands.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently predicted that the "upcoming fall and winter respiratory disease season" will likely have a similar number of total COVID-19 hospitalizations compared to last year.
According to the CDC, coronavirus strain XBB.1.5 is responsible for about 2 percent of new COVID-19 cases in the country in recent weeks.
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