Need a COVID-19 test following holiday gatherings and as kids prepare to return to school and adults to work? The U.S. Postal Service and federal government are again offering tests via mail for at no cost.
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Starting in mid-December, the U.S. Postal Service opened up an form on their website where Americans can complete a basic document to receive four rapid antigen COVID-19 tests.
The website states that each household is only permitted to place one order that includes all four tests.
To send the tests, the program merely requires a name and address. To track the order, an email field can be added.
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For those who can’t use the internet to place their order, a hotline at 1-800-232-0233 is open during the day and takes calls in both English and Spanish.
Free COVID-19 tests for those who are blind or have low vision can be ordered online or by calling 1-888-677-1199.
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The first batch of orders began delivery on December 19.
Millions of free at-home COVID-19 tests were sent earlier this year through the government’s COVID-19 test program. The program paused in September, but federal officials said they had tests for the winter months when COVID-19 cases usually spike.
The COVID-19 Winter Preparedness Plan document, which the White House distributed earlier this month, outlines the program’s limited return as follows, according to CBS News: “In the absence of Congress providing additional funding for the nation’s COVID-19 response, the administration has acted with its limited existing funding to add more at-home COVID-19 tests to the nation’s stockpile and support this round of ordering ahead of continued increases in COVID-19 cases.”
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The U.S. Postal Service testing program adds another way Americans can access free COVID-19 tests this winter. Those who need tests can also obtain free tests through their health insurance plan, which covers up to eight free tests per month, per individual, according to federal officials.
Federal health officials have said COVID-19 cases rose after Thanksgiving and remain high through the holiday season, as family and friends gather and travel increases.
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According to data, Bucks County’s rate of COVID-19 cases has increased in December. The rate of patients with COVID-19 in local hospitals has also increased, but not close to levels seen in the winter of 2020 and 2021.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, 86 percent of Bucks Countians have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine as of this week.
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Since the pandemic began, Bucks County has seen 2,083 COVID-19 deaths.
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