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On March 8, USPS will no longer accept free COVID test orders.
The virus trends have largely slowed down, leading to the end of two government-funded initiatives to offer free COVID-19 tests and Pfizer’s Paxlovid antiviral courses on Friday.
The U.S. agency, ASPR (Army Response Response), has withdrawn its request to transport COVID-19 tests to all households. This season’s round of shipments has ended, as confirmed by a representative from the Postal Service.
1.8 billion free COVID-19 tests
Through COVIDTests.gov and other direct distribution channels, the Assistant Procureur stated that over 1.8 billion free COVID-19 tests have been distributed to Americans, and they will continue providing millions of tests every week to schools as well as long-term care facilities such as hospitals with food banks.
This year’s free COVID-19 tests program is coming to a close earlier than last year. In 2023, orders for tests were accepted through the end of May.
A spokesman said that orders for the sixth round of test shipments were put on hold because case rates continued to slow.He reported. There is a chance that ASPR may be used again for testing.
On March 1, the CDC reported that certain COVID-19 trends are still elevated across the country, but have been decreasing in recent weeks from the peak of the previous winter.
It comes days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged in new guidance that rapid “antigen ” tests – like the kind in the USPS program – had “relatively low ” sensitivity, with “significant numbers of false negative ” results early during an infection.
“If it’s positive, we see very few false positives, we know that you have COVID.
Still, there’s the chance of having a false negative. So it can be reassuring, but it isn’t a guarantee that you do not have COVID if you see a negative, ” CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen told CBS News.
The Food and Drug Administration’s decision
The Food and Drug Administration’s decision to bring Pfizer’S COVID-19 treatment into the private market has resulted in the discontinuation of all Paxlovid supplies from the pandemic era on Friday.
According to FDA documents, Pfizer requested the discontinuation of emergency use authorization for the pills that were previously sold for free to all Americans as early as January. Due to concerns that the cutoff could lead directly to shortness, the FDA announced that it would be postponed until March.
Are there any methods to get COVID-19 tests for free?
Home Test to Treat, a program overseen by the National Institutes of Health and ASPR, continues to provide free at-home tests to uninsured or underinsurved adults (including those currently covered by Medicare, Medicaid, the Veterans Affairs system or Indian Health Services)
Pfizer’s Lucira test for COVID-19 and flu is the most dependable home molecular tests available, unlike other at-home rapid antigen tests shipped via USPS orders.
CBS News was informed by a representative from the NIH’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering that the program will cease in mid-April.
The Increasing Community Access to Testing program, which provides free testing to uninsured Americans through CDC subsidies is still being offered by thousands of pharmacies. Until May 2025, officials have stated that funding will be reserved for the program.
“We’ve testing sites in all 50 states, including D.C. and Puerto Rico.” At a January meeting of the agency’s advisers, Joseph Miller from CDC stated that there are approximately 10,000 active testing sites and between 2,000 and 2,500 sites conducting testing every week.
What are the ways to obtain Pfizer’s Paxlovid without paying?
Despite the switchover to private market versions of COVID-19 treatment, federal officials have been insistent that Americans will still be able to obtain free or reduced-price Paxlovid under their Pfizer agreement.
Through 2024, Pfizer’s government-funded patient assistance program allows all adults insured by Medicare and Medicaid to receive free Paxlovid. Uninsured Americans are also eligible.
People who have private insurance and aren’t eligible for the pills still can receive rebates or free, or reduced price Paxlovid through Pfizer’s PAXCESS program.
At a National Press Foundation event in January, ASPR’s Meghan Pennini stated that the bottom line was that no one should be responsible for paying the full price for Paxlovid.
