In the last two years, from the first day of the spread of the novel coronavirus in the United States, we have learned one thing testing is the most important weapon to fight against the spread of COVID-19.
Even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is running the biggest vaccine drive for COVID-19, nothing can compete with the testing and other protocols. Regular testing for COVID-19 can save your friends and family from getting the infection.
Apart from that, authorities can also take early action if they understand the positive rate of COVID-19 in certain areas. A vaccine is not 100% guaranteed to be like any other vaccine in the world. You should be very careful, as you can get a COVID-19 infection even after full vaccination.
The federal government of the United States understands the importance of COVID testing, and that is why they are providing free COVID tests from the government to every eligible American.
Latest updates on Free Covid Tests From Government
A few days ago, the White House announced that households in the United States could order eight more free coronavirus tests. It will be an additional supply of rapid tests ahead of possible summer vacations.
White House further mentioned that several parts of the country are experiencing the sub-variants of omicron, which are highly transmissible. These free rapid tests will help the authorities to contain the spread of viruses In sensitive areas.
The Biden administration has already committed to making 1 billion at-home COVID tests available for every eligible American household. All of these tests are going to be completely free of cost, and the government has already distributed 350 million tests.
The federal government of the United States is doing everything in its hand to ensure the safety of Americans from the deadly virus. Along with free testing, you can also get a free vaccine for COVID-19. We are not going to go into the debate of the effectiveness of the vaccine as people or raise questions, but cause everyone can get infected with the virus regardless of their vaccination status.
Current situation of COVID
The cases of coronavirus are rising in some parts of the United States. As per health experts, The United States is suffering from the 6th COVID wave, but the sad part is that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not accepting it on its official website.
On the spread map, anyone can see the rising trend of positive COVID-19 cases in the United States. A few days ago, we hit the 150,000 mark twice in seven days. Currently, the United States is reporting more than 125,000 positive cases of COVID-19 each day.
Health experts, including Jonathan Reiner, have been criticizing the federal government of the United States along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for not telling the truth this time.
Every health expert in the country wants the federal government to issue a new set of advisories through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Even though the federal government is trying to do everything to contain the virus, without serious advisory, people are not going to take the 6th wave as seriously as they should.
The government wants to increase the testing And contain the spread of the virus by providing home tests, but it is not going to increase awareness. In previous experience, we have seen that awareness regarding the spread of coronavirus helps the authorities to contain it.
Problem with Free Home Tests
Most health experts believe that free home tests are just a desperate attempt to cover up the outcomes of the 6th wave of coronavirus.
The free home COVID tests are not as beneficial as the government is advertising. Recently, local authorities have dropped many mitigation efforts and scaled back the data collection efforts. Now the authorities cannot assess the COVID outbreak in a community as it was before.
Apart from that, most people are not going to report positive tests back to the authorities. As a result, the authorities are not going to count that positive case. Several health experts believe that the federal government should make it mandatory to report home COVID tests, either positive or negative.
In the first week of May 2022, the Biden administration warned that the summertime spike in COVID cases across the Southern American Good exhausted the supply of COVID tests and antivirals in the country.
Apart from that, they also predicted that a possible fall surge could infest as many as 100 million Americans.
As of the third week of May 2022, several northeastern parts of the country, including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, have reached high community transmissions. The reports have been updated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on its official website.
At the same time, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington, and Hawaii have at least one county with high levels of transmission. We are not seeing the situation getting better in the upcoming weeks.
White House and Congress
As always, the White House and Congress are fighting over funds. A few days ago, the White House urged Congress to fund President Biden’s COVID preparedness efforts. These efforts include allocating more money to maintain the testing capacity and treatment capacity of the nation.
In a statement issued by the White House a few days ago, they mentioned that Congress has failed to provide additional funding for the COVID-19 response of the United States. Because of that, the Biden administration cannot continue making federal investments needed to sustain domestic testing manufacturing capacity.
Apart from that, they also mentioned that failing to provide funds can also jeopardize the federal government’s ability to provide free tests in upcoming weeks.
In the race for the White House and Congress, Americans might lose their free COVID testing. Most health experts believe that the White House and Congress should work together to contain the 6th COVID wave, which is highly transmissible.
How do order free COVID tests from the government?
Before we wrap up this session, let’s take a look at how you can order free tests from the government. The federal government of the United States has recently announced the third round of free at-home tests.
Even if you are eligible to receive free COVID tests from the government, they are not going to deliver to your doorstep on their own. You have to use the official website of COVID-19 tests and order it yourself by providing some information.
We have attached a step-by-step tutorial. Kindly take a look at each step to get free COVID tests from the government at your doorstep.
- First of all, you have to click on the above-given button, which will directly take you to the official website of the United States government.
- On the website page, kindly find a button named Order Free at-home tests.
- As soon as you click on the button, it will redirect you to the official website and order page of the United States Postal Service.
- On the portal page, you have to enter your contact information and shipping address.
- As soon as you enter the information and click checkout now, it will place an order.
Kindly remember, If you have already received the third round of free COVID tests, then it might reject your order. Apart from that, you do not have to pay anything to get your test shipped.
Other Testing Options
Apart from the free COVID test soon to be delivered to every household in the United States, Every eligible American can get himself tested for COVID-19 without any cost.
With federal funding, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention runs the biggest testing drive for COVID-19 in the United States. The CDC has partnered with several pharmaceutical chains and independent clinics to provide free COVID testing to every eligible American.
Pharmaceutical Giants
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have a partnership with pharmaceutical giants such as CVS Health, Rite Aid, and Walgreens to provide different types of COVID tests without any cost.
Suppose you are also looking for yourself to get tested for COVID-19. In that case, you can visit the official website of any pharmaceutical giant mentioned above and make an appointment at a nearby pharmacy.
They have different types of tests available at the pharmacist. For example, people trying to travel internationally can get themselves tested with the RT PCR test, which is valid in every country in the world.
On the other hand, if a person is having flu-like symptoms, then they can get themselves tested with a rapid antigen test.
Apart from that, these pharmacies are also providing free COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots. If you have not been vaccinated with a primary or booster series, then you can also use the same website to create a fresh appointment for the vaccine.
Independent clinics and laboratories
Apart from the pharmaceutical giants, to expand its reach, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has also partnered with several independent clinics and laboratories to provide COVID testing in every part of the country.
For example, Walmart, in partnership with Quest Diagnostics and in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is also providing free COVID testing at most of its locations. You can get yourself tested at any Walmart store in the country.
In remote locations of the country, where big pharmaceutical giants do not have any pharmacies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are providing free COVID testing in partnership with independent clinics. You can use the centralized database of COVID testing to find these independent clinics.
Which is the best COVID test? At-home COVID test or laboratory test.
Before we talk about which type of COVID testing is best, you should understand the type of test available in the market. The federal government will provide you with the antigen test to detect COVID-19, the lowest type. These types of tests are also available at different laboratories and pharmacies. If you are looking for the best, then you should get your test. Antigen tests at the pharmacy will have equal effectiveness as at-home COVID tests.