Starting today, the US government is offering another round of free COVID testing.
“Families in the US will be able to request 4 free COVID-19 tests at COVIDTests.gov,” according to the Department of Health and Human Services. “The COVID-19 tests will detect current variants of COVID-19 and can be used until the end of the year.”
More than 900 million of these tests have already been distributed to help people test and treat earlier, and perhaps prevent spreading COVID to others.
If you have never tested for COVID before, the nasal swab kits are easy to use.
“At-home COVID tests can be done at home or other locations and typically provide results in 30 minutes or less,” according to HHS. “COVID tests can be administered to vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.”
Testing can be helpful as Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas gatherings bring people together.
“The best plan going into this winter is for everyone to stay vigilant, use the tools we have: vaccines, testing, treatment for the diseases responsible for most deaths and hospitalizations in the fall and winter,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to CNN.
And don’t forget about the vaccines.
The latest formulation specific to COVID vaccine strains is now available, both in RNA form (Moderna and Pfizer) and in Novavax’s protein-based alternative.
The mRNA vaccines target the KP.2 ‘FLiRT’ variant, which has been the dominant strain since late spring, while the Novavax vaccine targets the JN.1, which is still around but perhaps less dominant than in previous months.
All vaccines are available at pharmacies across the country, and it is safe to get the COVID and flu vaccines at the same time, experts say.More information
Learn more about the safety and efficacy of COVID vaccines at cdc.gov.
Source: HHS.gov/www.usnews.com