The US government will start accepting orders for free tests for the Covid-19 virus on Monday, the Ministry of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced.
Households that have previously ordered four free tests through COVIDTests.gov are eligible to order four more; in turn, those that have not done so can place two orders for a total of eight free tests, Reuters reported.
The government is offering free testing ahead of the holiday season, which in the United States begins with Thanksgiving on November 23 and ends with New Year’s Eve celebrations.
According to the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of people admitted to hospitals due to Covid-19 during the week of November 11 increased to more than 16,000, up from almost 15,000. in the previous week and almost 24 thousand during the same period last year.
President Joe Biden’s administration suspended the free testing program in August 2022, citing a lack of funding. In December 2022, it resumed offering tests due to the increase in the number of cases, and on September 25 this year it opened another round of orders. (PAP)
mwt/mal/