The North American Government announced this Wednesday the financing of 560 million euros for the production of new home Covid-19 tests and the reopening of the website that allows North Americans to request up to four free devices per family.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) explained that orders can be placed starting September 25 and that the free tests will be delivered free of charge through the United States Postal Service.
Twelve manufacturers employing hundreds of people in seven states have received funding and will produce 200 million over-the-counter tests to replenish the federal stockpile for government use, in addition to producing enough tests to meet the demand for tests ordered online, he stressed. , the Department of Health, cited by the Associated Press (AP).
Federal officials emphasized that this measure will help protect against supply chain problems that have caused some shortages of at-home Covid-19 tests during previous outbreaks.
Dawn O’Connell, undersecretary of preparedness and response at HHS, stressed that if there is demand for these at-home tests, the Government led by Democrat Joe Biden wants to ensure that they are made available to the American people for free.
“Our goal is to get to the holidays and make sure people can get a test if they’re going to see their grandparents on Thanksgiving,” he added.
The tests were designed to detect circulating Covid-19 variants and should be used before the end of the year.
The initiative follows four previous ones in which federal officials and the U.S. Postal Service have provided more than 755 million free tests to households across the country.
It is also intended to complement ongoing federal efforts to provide free testing to long-term care facilities, schools, low-income senior housing, the uninsured and underserved communities.
Source: TSF
