Free COVID tests are back: Here’s how to place your USPS mail order from the government

Free COVID tests are officially back. With COVID-19 cases on the rise, and reports that the new XEC variant is now in half of U.S. states, the government is once again providing free at-home test kits. The United States Postal Service (USPS) will start shipping those out directly to homes as soon as next week. It hopes to get the kits out before this year’s busy holiday season. That’s as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is predicting that virus cases will likely climb again over the winter and could peak in mid-January. How to order your tests Any household can order four at-home COVID nasal swab kits through the covidtests.gov website. The over-the-counter kits are designed to detect current COVID-19 variants. What to know about the tests Here’s a rundown of what to know about the tests available for order: They are rapid antigen at-home tests (not PCR) They can be taken at home or other locations They give results within 30 minutes (no lab drop-off required) They can be used for testing even if you do not have COVID-19 symptoms They can be used for testing regardless of how up to date you are on your COVID-19 vaccines Earlier this week, some visitors had trouble accessing the website to order the tests, but on Thursday, Fast Company was able to order the tests without incident. In addition to continued testing, the CDC is encouraging Americans to get updated COVID booster shots from Pfizer or Moderna, “to protect against the potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 this fall and winter whether or not they have ever previously been vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine.”