Biden Admin. Restarts Free COVID-19 At-Home Test Program as Part of Winter Plan

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States will again offer free at-home COVID-19 tests as part of the winter preparedness health plan, the White House said on Thursday.

"Today, the Biden Administration is announcing a plan to stay ahead of an increase in COVID-19 cases this winter," the statement read.

Medical tests will be available through a special COVIDTests.gov web portal, which is open for a limited round of ordering this winter, according to the statement. "Starting today, all US households can order a total of four at-home COVID-19 tests that will be mailed directly to them for free," it added.

The White House noted that COVID-19 is not as disruptive now as it was before, but still remains a threat to public health. The administration calls on Americans to use at-home COVID-19 tests when they have symptoms of COVID-19, before and after traveling for the holidays.

"The Administration has made free COVID-19 testing widely available and easily accessible. This includes providing over 15,000 free community testing sites nationwide, covering over-the-counter tests under Medicare, and requiring all health insurance plans to cover eight free at-home tests per month per individual, which can be easily accessed at local pharmacies and online," the statement read.

The US Congress did not allocate additional funding for the program, so the administration said it is using own resources to provide additional tests.