Four free COVID home tests per household available from feds starting Monday

Consumers can once again get four free coronavirus home tests per household through the government-run website CovidTests.gov.

The Biden administration reopened the free test program beginning Monday, as the Department of Health and Human Services announced it will award $600 million to a dozen domestic coronavirus test manufacturers to shore up the government's supply of home tests.

The investment will deliver about 200 million new over-the-counter coronavirus tests, officials said.

During four previous rounds, HHS secured and the Postal Service delivered more than 755 million tests free to households. The program ended at the conclusion of the COVID-19 public health emergency earlier this year. The federal government has continued to ship tests to nursing homes, low-income senior housing, the uninsured and underserved communities, officials said.

HHS' Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response announced the contracts will range from $167 million to iHealth in California to $4.5 million to Advin in California. The a dozen test manufacturers employ hundreds of workers in seven states, officials said.

“The Biden-Harris Administration, in partnership with domestic manufacturers, has made great strides in addressing vulnerabilities in the U.S. supply chain by reducing our reliance on overseas manufacturing,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “These critical investments will strengthen our nation’s production levels of domestic at-home COVID-19 rapid tests and help mitigate the spread of the virus.”HHS officials said the tests will detect the COVID-19 variants now circulating and can be used through the end of 2023.

Consumers who order a new test will get a warning that the free tests might show expired dates on the box. The Food and Drug Administration extended expiration dates for home coronavirus tests.

The Biden administration launched CovidTests in early 2022 as long lines and home test shortages made it difficult for Americans to get checked for the contagious omicron variant, then the dominant strain. The federal government initially purchased 500 million home tests to be mailed to households so people could test themselves at home without a lab.

COVID-19 infections have been rising since early July, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. Hospitalizations are up 7.7% as of Sept. 9 and deaths 12.5% as of Sept. 16, but totals remain far below previous peaks.

The share of positive coronavirus tests climbed from about 4% in early June to 12.5% as of Sept. 16. The CDC testing data typically doesn't include home coronavirus tests unless someone visits a doctor who orders a test through a lab.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Four free home COVID tests at CovidTests.gov starts Monday