The Biden administration will once again allow free at-home Covid testing this winter

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This illustration taken on Jan. 11, 2022 shows COVID-19 self-testing kits provided by the District of Columbia government, which is providing city residents with four free take-home tests per day.

Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters

The Biden administration will once again make rapid Covid tests available for free this winter with a limited round of orders.

Households can now order a total of four rapid covid tests for free at CovidTests.gov. Orders will begin shipping next week, just days before families gather for the Christmas holiday, and deliveries will continue in the following weeks, the White House said.

In September, the Biden administration shut down the free at-home Covid testing program because Congress did not approve additional funding to replenish the US stockpile.

The White House decided to shift existing money to buy more tests and restart the popular program as Covid cases began to rise again, a senior administration official told reporters on a call Wednesday night.

“We are confident that we will have enough tests to do this next round, four per household, in the coming weeks,” the official said.

The reintroduction of the free home testing program is part of the Biden administration’s Covid preparedness plan this winter. Infections with covid are on the rise again, as hospital emergency departments are already dealing with an influx of patients with flu and respiratory syncytial virus.

The Biden administration will make federal medical teams available to overburdened hospitals as state governments request, the official said. Supplies such as personal protective equipment and ventilators will be prepared in advance for distribution to states as needed, the official said.

The administration is also focusing on increasing vaccination rates in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, which house some of the people most vulnerable to severe illness from Covid.

The federal government will send a handbook urging nursing homes to inform all residents about vaccines, offer treatment to residents who contract Covid and take steps to improve indoor air quality, according to a White House news release.

Health Secretary Xavier Becerra will send a letter to governors highlighting how vaccination rates in nursing homes in their states compare to others, the White House said. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will also reach out to jurisdictions with the lowest nursing home vaccination rates to remind them of steps they can take to increase coverage.

The federal government is also urging hospitals to offer covid vaccinations to unvaccinated patients before they are discharged.

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