How to get 4 free COVID-19 tests from the federal government

The federal government will again offer free COVID-19 testing kits to U.S. households in late September.

Each household can receive up to four free tests from COVIDtest.gov. Once ordered, the home tests will be mailed for free. An exact date when Americans can order the COVID-19 tests has not yet been announced.

According to USA TODAY, this is the seventh time in the past three years that the government has provided free testing kits, with about 900 million home tests being sent to private households.

The tests are designed to detect the dominant variants currently circulating, including the subvariant KP.3.1.1, which accounted for nearly 37% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., and KP.3, which accounted for more than 16% of cases, according to the CDC.

What are the latest COVID-19 numbers in Oregon?

According to data from the Oregon Health Authority, the number of positive COVID-19 tests in Oregon has been declining since mid-August after a sharp rise over the summer.

For the week ending Sept. 7, Oregon reported 171 positive COVID-19 tests to the health department, down from a peak of 433 in late July. There is no requirement to report positive tests to OHA, so this number does not reflect the actual number of cases.

To monitor COVID-19 levels, OHA partners with Oregon State University to regularly test wastewater samples across the state.

The most recent data, released in late August, showed either continued declines or no significant change in most parts of the state.

Positive sentiment was stable in Woodburn, Dallas, Albany, Corvallis, Eugene and Florence, while Salem saw a continued decline. Silverton and Stayton, on the other hand, saw increases.

How to tell if the expiration date on your test is correct

Some COVID-19 tests are expected to continue to work as intended even after their expiration date. This is because manufacturers have demonstrated that the shelf life is longer than originally known when the test was approved.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration publishes a table with information on all approved home tests.

To check the actual shelf life of a test, locate the test and look in the “Expiration Date” column. Certain tests are listed as “Extended Expiration” and will lead to a table containing extended expiration date information based on the date of manufacture.

If there is no information on the packaging or if it says “Expiry date: see package label” in the column, follow the expiry date stated on the packaging.

Symptoms of COVID-19

According to the CDC, symptoms may change with new COVID-19 variants and vary depending on vaccination status. Possible symptoms may include:

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Sore throat
Stuffy or runny nose
New loss of taste or smell
fatigue
Muscle or limb pain
Headache
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

If you feel sick, the CDC recommends staying home and away from other people, getting tested, and seeking treatment from a doctor.

How to get 4 free COVID-19 tests from the federal government

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