Another Round Of Free Covid Tests Offered Ahead Of Virus Season

Axios: COVID Test Kits Available To Order For Free From U.S. Government
Americans can order more free COVID-19 tests from the government starting Monday, less than two months after the Biden administration reopened the at-home testing program. The release of additional tests comes days ahead of Thanksgiving and the busy holiday travel season, which has corresponded with a surge in coronavirus cases in recent years. (Tyko, 11/20)

Reuters: US To Offer More Free COVID Tests Nationwide
The tests are paid for using COVID-19 supplemental funding from the American Rescue Plan, the HHS spokesperson said. The Biden administration has distributed over 1.6 billion free tests to date, the spokesperson said, including those delivered to people's homes through the website, as well as millions weekly to long-term care facilities, schools, community health centers, and food banks. HHS and the Department of Education plan to expand a program that brings tests to schools nationwide over the coming weeks. (Aboulenein, 11/20)

The New York Times: U.S. Offers Another Round Of Free Covid Tests Through The Mail
Just in time for the holiday season, the Biden administration is offering Americans a fresh round of free at-home coronavirus tests through the Postal Service. The administration revived the dormant program in September, announcing then that households could order four free tests through a federal website, covidtests.gov. Beginning Monday, households may order an additional four tests — or eight tests if they had not ordered any in the previous round. (Gay Stolberg, 11/20)

Meanwhile, ahead of holiday season, covid worries tick up —

The Boston Globe: As Holidays Approach, Advocates Call For A Return To Universal Masking In Health Care Settings
Anticipating a surge of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections this winter, a group of doctors and activists on Monday called on the state to require universal masking in health care settings. In a virtual news conference, the Massachusetts Coalition for Health Equity also demanded free access to COVID-19 testing and high-quality masks, public education about the risks of long COVID, and protections enabling disabled people to insist that their caregivers wear masks. (Freyer, 11/20)

CBS News: CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen Offers COVID Caution For The Holidays
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came home for the holidays with an important health message. "There are ways to protect yourself, even this week. So I hope you got vaccinated, and if you didn't it's not too late. ..." Cohen said. "I wouldn't recommend something I wouldn't recommend for my own parents, for my own daughters," Cohen said. "The most important reason is this virus changes. COVID has changed and flu has changed. You want the most updated protection you can get." (Gusoff, 11/20)

And it's not just covid that people are concerned about —

The Hill: One-Third In New Survey Worried About Catching Flu, COVID, RSV In Next Three Months
More than a third of Americans say they are worried that they or one of their family members will contract a seasonal respiratory virus like the flu, COVID-19 or RSV in the coming months, though vaccine enthusiasm appears to be middling at best. The survey was conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania Oct. 5-12. (Choi, 11/20)

CIDRAP: More US Parents Plan To Vaccinate Kids Against RSV, Flu Than COVID, Survey Shows
A Texas A&M University survey of US parents finds that 41% already had or would vaccinate their children against COVID-19, 63% against influenza, and 71% against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) this fall and winter. The study, published late last week in Vaccine, involved 5,035 parents of children younger than 18 years surveyed on September 27 and 28, 2023. (Van Beusekom, 11/20)