On December 15, the Biden administration made rapid at-home COVID tests kits available for free again this winter through a limited round of ordering. Households can now order a total of four rapid COVID tests for free at CovidTests.gov. Existing rapid tests can still detect an infection if testing is done properly and repeatedly. Early testing can help slow the spread of COVID infection.

Orders have started to ship. Deliveries will continue in the following weeks. If assistance is needed in ordering the at-home tests, call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).

The relaunch of the free at-home test program is part of the Biden administration’s preparedness plan for COVID this winter. COVID infections are increasing again as hospital emergency departments are already battling a surge of patients sick with the flu and respiratory syncytial virus.

Rapid COVID tests are effective at detecting new variants. Existing antigen tests can spot an infection—if testing is done properly and repeatedly. According to experts, variants may behave differently now, but the part of the virus that antigen tests detect (the N protein) has not changed.

According to CDC guidance, if someone has symptoms they should test immediately. If a negative test result is received from the first test, test again 48 hours later. If someone is exposed to COVID-19 and does not have symptoms, wait at least 5 full days after exposure before testing. Testing too early, may show inaccurate results.

Testing as part of a screening testing program may be necessary in high-risk settings. Consider testing before contact with someone at high risk for severe COVID-19, especially in areas with a medium or high COVID-19 Community Level.

The timeline for the program is unclear. An end date for ordering free rapid COVID tests has not been announced.

We are still learning how well the tests detect new variants. Antigen tests (what many at-home tests are) generally are worse at detecting COVID infection than molecular/PCR tests. Some antigen tests and molecular/PCR tests can detect current variants, some are better at detecting them than others, and some are not able to detect current variants.

A list of tests and their ability to detect current variants are available here: https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-covid-19-and-medical-devices/sars-cov-2-viral-mutations-impact-covid-19-tests#reduced