That is the final week to order free COVID-19 fast checks from the US authorities. This system will probably be suspended on Friday, September 2nd, “as a result of Congress hasn’t supplied extra funding to replenish the nation’s stockpile of checks,” this system’s website reads.
The White Home launched COVIDTests.gov in January of this 12 months, quickly after the omicron variant first began burning by means of the US. Each US family is eligible for three sets of tests from the web site, so for those who nonetheless haven’t gotten all your checks, now’s the time to position the order. Right here’s our how-to guide.
An unnamed White Home official told CNN that the Biden administration didn’t have sufficient funding from Congress for all its COVID-19 response packages and that it wished to save lots of its stockpile of checks for any surge in instances this fall. If Congress allocates extra COVID-19 funding, the White Home would restart this system, the official mentioned. “Till then, we imagine reserving the remaining checks for distribution later this 12 months is the very best course.”
The Biden administration is also planning to cease paying for COVID-19 vaccines and coverings, shifting accountability to well being insurers and people.
For the previous two years, COVID-19 has been an outlier within the US well being system — checks, therapies, and vaccines for the illness had been made accessible without charge by means of centralized authorities packages. Entry wasn’t excellent, and the system was nonetheless unwieldy, however issues like COVIDTests.gov had been examples of what public well being can appear like when it’s handled as a real public good. However now, the illness is beginning to grow to be like another in the US: an costly, particular person downside.
