The Biden-Harris administration has provided $600 million in funding to restart the manufacturing and offering of free at-home COVID-19 tests for people of the United States.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced through the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) an investment of more than half a billion dollars across 12 domestic COVID-19 test manufacturers and the reopening of COVIDTests.gov.
Government To Offer Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests Again
The decision will lead to delivering COVID-19 tests to households across the United States without people having to pay for them. The critical investments in US manufacturing are designed to improve preparedness for COVID-19 and other pandemic threats that could occur in the future.
It would also strengthen the nation's capacity to manufacture tests and secure approximately 200 million new over-the-counter COVID-19 tests for future federal government use. The funding will be divided among various companies nationwide, the largest recipient of which is Access Bio in New Jersey, which will receive $88.7 million, as per the HHS.
In a statement, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said that the Biden-Harris administration partnered with domestic manufacturers to make great strides in addressing vulnerabilities in the country's supply chain. This is done by reducing the nation's reliance on overseas manufacturing.
The 12 manufacturing companies that comprise the recipient list for the funding operate production facilities across the United States and employ hundreds of workers in seven states. The Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Dawn O'Connell, said that manufacturing COVID-19 tests in the US strengthen preparedness for the upcoming fall and winter seasons.
He added that this would also reduce the country's reliance on other countries and provide good jobs for hard-working Americans. O'Connell noted that ASPR's investment in domestic manufacturers will increase the availability of COVID-19 tests in the future.
Providing $600 Million to Manufacturers
United States President Joe Biden's administration announced the new funding as the coronavirus is gaining a stronger foothold nationwide. Free test kits have been offered by the government through the COVIDTests.gov website since January 2022, according to CNBC.
However, the site stopped taking orders on June 1 this year to conserve supplies of the tests. The American government is now relaunching the program just before the virus is expected to spread at higher levels among the population. For the past eight weeks straight, COVID-19 hospitalizations have steadily increased.
The Biden administration also noted that the free at-home COVID-19 test kits that will be delivered will be able to detect currently circulating virus variants. The kits are also intended for use up through the end of 2023 and will have instructions for how people can verify if a test's expiration date has been extended.
Households nationwide can order four free COVID-19 tests through the website. The current administration also said that it expects to secure roughly 200 million test kits from its new investments in the 12 local manufacturers, including in the new funding, said Axios.
