The U.S. authorities reopened this system in September, permitting any family to order as much as 4 at-home COVID nasal swab kits by the web site, covidtests.gov.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. authorities’s free at-home COVID-19 take a look at distribution program has been suspended and is not accepting orders.
This comes because the globe marks 5 years for the reason that World Well being Group declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020.
“Ordering by the covidtests.gov program has been suspended,” an replace posted on-line Sunday states. “This system is not accepting orders. All orders positioned earlier than 8:00 pm Japanese on March ninth, 2025 will likely be delivered.”
It is not but recognized whether or not this system has been completely shut down or if that is solely momentary. At-home testing kits are additionally bought at pharmacies, grocery tales and lots of different retailers.
Ordering on covidtests.gov has been suspended on and off all through the COVID pandemic. Nonetheless, final month, The Washington Put up reported the Trump administration was evaluating the price of ending this system and destroying tens of hundreds of thousands of exams.
The U.S. authorities underneath the Biden administration reopened this system in September 2024, permitting any family to order as much as 4 at-home COVID nasal swab kits by the web site, covidtests.gov.
The web site had been reopened on the heels of a summer time COVID-19 virus wave and heading into the autumn and winter respiratory virus season, with well being officers urging Individuals to get an up to date COVID-19 booster and their yearly flu shot.
Since COVID-19 first started its unfold in 2020, U.S. taxpayers have poured billions of {dollars} into growing and buying COVID exams in addition to vaccines. As of September, the Biden administration had given out 1.8 billion COVID exams, together with half distributed to households by mail, in response to the Related Press. It’s unclear what number of exams the federal government nonetheless has readily available.
The Related Press contributed to this report.