The Biden administration announced that Americans can once again request coronavirus tests, free of charge.

Each household will be allotted four free rapid tests, which can be requested at covidtests.gov. They expect to start shipping out next week.

This new development is largely in anticipation of an uptick in COVID cases during the fall/winter season. However, free test mailing was not revived during the recent summer wave of cases.

Ahead of the typical holiday season and travel, the tests are being mailed as a precaution for people to take before visiting family or getting on airplanes.

However, over time coronavirus rapid tests have become less and less reliable. It is common to test negative, when in reality you have the virus but not enough of it to be flagged by the test. This is partially due to people beginning to develop immunity towards the virus, making their bodies less affected by it.

The Biden Administration is ensuring that the newly distributed tests are keeping up with the latest variants, still being effective against the newest iterations of the virus.

Additional places in your community to get free rapid tests include local health departments, doctor’s offices, and community centers.