U.S. Government to Relaunch Free COVID-19 Test Delivery Program in September Amid Rising Hospitalizations

The U.S. government announced on Friday that its free COVID-19 test delivery program will be relaunched in late September, just in time for the upcoming holiday season. This move comes as COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths have surged across the country over the past three months.

Dawn O’Connell, a senior official at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, stated that the free testing program will be reintroduced as families begin spending more time indoors with loved ones, including those who are very old and very young, during the fall season.

This initiative is part of a broader effort by the government to curb the rising tide of COVID-19 cases and ensure that those at risk of severe illness are adequately protected. Alongside the testing program, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer, BioNTech, and Moderna. These vaccines have been specifically designed to target a recently circulating variant, offering better protection as the colder months approach.