More free home COVID-19 tests available from US government – WCVB Boston

FROM SELLING TOBACCO, RESTOCKING YOUR SUPPLY OF COVID 19 TESTS BEGINNING ON MONDAY, HOUSEHOLDS HERE CAN ORDER FOR FREE KITS THROUGH A FEDERAL WEBSITE HERE I MEAN IN THE UNITED STATES. HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, DR. KRISTIN MOFFAT, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT BOSTON CHILDRENS HOSPITAL, GREAT TO SEE YOU, DOCTOR. GOOD TO SEE YOU, TOO. YEAH. HI, DR. MOFFAT. YOU KNOW, ITS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE SOME OF US HAVE EVEN LOOKED AT OUR STOCKPILE OF TESTS AT HOME. RIGHT. PROBABLY IN THE CLOSET. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES THAT THEYRE ALL EXPIRED? YEAH, ITS A REALLY GOOD POINT TO BRING UP. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THEY ARE EXPIRED, SO EVERYBODY SHOULD CHECK THE EXPIRATION DATE ON THEIR COVID TESTS. BUT DONT THROW THEM OUT IF YOU SEE THAT THE DATE SHOWS THAT ITS EXPIRED BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE DIFFERENT BRANDS WERE DOING SORT OF POST DISTRIBUTION TESTING TO SEE IF THEY WERE STILL EFFECTIVE BEYOND THE EXPIRATION DATES. AND INDEED, A LOT OF THESE EXPIRATION DATES HAVE BEEN EXTENDED BY SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 6 AND 10 MONTHS. SO THERE IS AN FDA WEBSITE THAT LISTS THESE EXPIRATION DATE EXTENSIONS BY BRAND. SO I WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND CHECKING THAT OUT BEFORE YOU TOSS ANY TESTS. I ACTUALLY DID THAT AND THEYRE ALL EXPIRED. SO THATS THAT IS ITS GREAT ADVICE. SO LETS TALK ABOUT THESE NEW ROUNDS OF FREE TESTS THE WEBSITE TO ORDER THEM COVID TESTS.GOV. IT OPENS ON MONDAY. WHY WHY IS THIS BEING OFFERED NOW? YEAH, I THINK ITS GREAT THAT THIS IS BEING OFFERED. AGAIN, IF YOU MAY REMEMBER, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN INSURANCE DID COVER THIS OR THESE WERE BEING OFFERED AT NO COST AND THEYRE EXPENSIVE. WHEN WE GO AND BUY THESE OUT OF POCKET DRUGSTORE, THEYRE NOT CHEAP CASES ARE RISING RIGHT NOW. HOSPITALIZATIONS HAVE BEEN RISING. AND ITS CONCEIVABLE IN THE COMING MONTHS AS PEOPLE SPEND MORE TIME TOGETHER INDOORS WITH HOLIDAYS COMING UP TOGETHER IN THE COMING MONTHS, TRANSMISSION COULD INCREASE EVEN MORE. AND IT REMAINS TRUE THAT TESTING FOR COVID, IF YOUVE GOT SYMPTOMS OF COVID AND ISOLATING IF YOURE POSITIVE, IS A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF KEEPING ANOTHER SURGE FROM HAPPENING. SO I THINK ITS A GREAT MOVE TO MAKE THESE AVAILABLE AGAIN, AT NO COST SO THAT EVERYBODY WHO WANTS THEM HAS ACCESS TO THEM. I THINK ITS ALSO IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT WEVE GOT TREATMENTS AVAILABLE NOW LIKE PAXLOVID, THAT WE DIDNT HAVE AVAILABLE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND TREATMENTS LIKE THAT ARE MOST EFFECTIVE IF THEYRE STARTED AS SOON AS SOMEBODY KNOWS THAT THEY HAVE AN INFECTION DUE TO COVID. SO BEING ABLE TO HAVE TESTS AT HOME AND CONFIRM THAT YOUR SYMPTOMS ARE DUE TO COVID, ITS REALLY HELPFUL IN A LOT OF WAYS. OKAY. AND OF COURSE, THE VIRUS, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS KEEPS CHANGING BECAUSE THATS WHAT VIRUSES DO. THIS ONE HAS CHANGED A LOT OVER THE YEARS. ANY CONCERNS ABOUT NEW VARIANTS DOWN THE ROAD OR TESTING OF ANY OF THAT? YEAH, ITS A GREAT QUESTION. IT ALWAYS WOULD BE OF CONCERN. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THE TESTS WE HAVE, IF THEYRE NEGATIVE, CAN WE TRUST THEM? AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE FDA AND OTHER AGENCIES ARE REGULARLY AND SYSTEMATICALLY DOING FOR ALL OF THE AUTHORIZED TESTS. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME INSTANCES OF TESTS THAT ARE NOT THE ONES AS BROADLY AVAILABLE WHERE THEIR PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN DECREASED WITH SOME OF THE VARIANTS. BUT ITS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THIS CONTINUES TO BE MONITORED. FOR THE MOST PART, THE ONES THAT REMAIN BROADLY AVAILABLE HAVE NOT EXHIBITED ANY DECREASED PERFORMANCE WITH VARIANTS THAT HAVE EMERGED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO CONTINUE TO BE EVALUATED. ALL RIGHT, DR. MOFFITT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SPENDING SOME TIME WITH US.

More free home COVID-19 tests available for order from US government

Updated: 2:15 PM EST Nov 20, 2023

U.S. households are now eligible to order an additional four at-home COVID-19 tests free of cost through the government.As of Monday, residential households in the U.S. can submit an order through Covidtests.gov for four individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests. Orders will start to ship on Nov. 27, according to USPS. People without an internet connection can call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489) to request tests.The U.S. government had suspended the rapid test distribution program earlier in May, then reopened it in September. Residents who havent placed an order since the program reopened can place two orders, which will provide eight tests in total, according to USPS.COVID-19 rapid tests can be taken at home and can be used regardless of whether someone has symptoms. The tests should work through the end of the year; some of the dates on the tests may show that they are expired, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has extended those dates.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people test if they have any COVID-19-like symptoms including a sore throat, runny nose, loss of smell or taste, or a fever. People may also want to test before they are going to be a part of a large event, like a concert or a conference, particularly if people are not up-to-date on their vaccines. Antivirals are available to treat COVID-19 and flu, and testing can help determine which medication is needed.COVID-19 hospital admissions and emergency department visits are once again on the rise after a few weeks of downturn, according to the CDC. For the week ending Nov. 11, the percentage of COVID-related emergency department visits was 1.4%, or just over 16,200 people similar to rates seen throughout this month and last month.Overall, outpatient visits for flu-like illness are lower than they were at this time last year but higher than in the previous four seasons. CDC forecasting suggests that this respiratory virus season will result in about the same number of hospitalizations as last season.Seasonal flu activity is also increasing in most parts of the country with flu-like activity labeled as high in New Mexico, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and South Carolina, according to the CDC. There have been at least 780,000 illnesses, 8,000 hospitalizations, and 490 deaths from flu so far this season, the agency estimates.More than a third of adults and nearly a third of children have gotten their flu shot this year, CDC data shows. About 14% of adults and 5% of children have gotten the new COVID-19 vaccine while 14% of older adults ages 60 and up have gotten the new RSV vaccine.

U.S. households are now eligible to order an additional four at-home COVID-19 tests free of cost through the government.

As of Monday, residential households in the U.S. can submit an order through Covidtests.gov for four individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests. Orders will start to ship on Nov. 27, according to USPS. People without an internet connection can call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489) to request tests.

The U.S. government had suspended the rapid test distribution program earlier in May, then reopened it in September. Residents who havent placed an order since the program reopened can place two orders, which will provide eight tests in total, according to USPS.

COVID-19 rapid tests can be taken at home and can be used regardless of whether someone has symptoms. The tests should work through the end of the year; some of the dates on the tests may show that they are expired, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has extended those dates.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people test if they have any COVID-19-like symptoms including a sore throat, runny nose, loss of smell or taste, or a fever. People may also want to test before they are going to be a part of a large event, like a concert or a conference, particularly if people are not up-to-date on their vaccines. Antivirals are available to treat COVID-19 and flu, and testing can help determine which medication is needed.

COVID-19 hospital admissions and emergency department visits are once again on the rise after a few weeks of downturn, according to the CDC. For the week ending Nov. 11, the percentage of COVID-related emergency department visits was 1.4%, or just over 16,200 people similar to rates seen throughout this month and last month.

Overall, outpatient visits for flu-like illness are lower than they were at this time last year but higher than in the previous four seasons. CDC forecasting suggests that this respiratory virus season will result in about the same number of hospitalizations as last season.

Seasonal flu activity is also increasing in most parts of the country with flu-like activity labeled as high in New Mexico, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and South Carolina, according to the CDC. There have been at least 780,000 illnesses, 8,000 hospitalizations, and 490 deaths from flu so far this season, the agency estimates.

More than a third of adults and nearly a third of children have gotten their flu shot this year, CDC data shows. About 14% of adults and 5% of children have gotten the new COVID-19 vaccine while 14% of older adults ages 60 and up have gotten the new RSV vaccine.

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More free home COVID-19 tests available from US government - WCVB Boston