Every household can get four free Covid-19 tests through the mail; expiration dates on some old tests extended

Kentucky Health News

Kentuckians can now order free at-home Covid-19 test kits from the federal government and are encouraged to order them to have on hand before the holiday season begins.

“Reopening this popular program is the latest step by the Biden-Harris Administration to ensure that over-the-counter Covid-19 tests are available to all who want them this fall and winter,” Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said in a news release. “Before you visit with your family and friends this holiday season, take a quick test and help keep them safe from Covid-19.”

Each household is eligible to order four at-home test kits from COVIDTests.gov. If you need help placing an order, call 1-800-232-0233. The tests will be shipped for free through the U.S. Postal Service.

The tests can detect the current circulating Covid-19 variants and can be used through the end of the year, according to HHS.

This is the seventh time the U.S. Postal Service has distributed the free at-home test kits, having delivered more than 900 million free tests directly to U.S. households since the initiative started in the winter of 2021, according to a Postal Service news release.

“The distribution of these at-home test kits is a vital public health initiative from the Department of Health and Human Services,”  Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in the release. “We are proud to continue our partnership in ensuring that every household has access to the resources they need to stay safe and healthy.”

Many of the older Covid-19 tests have an extended expiration date beyond what is printed on the box. To find out if an at-home Covid-19 test kit has an extended expiration date, click here.