A senior Biden administration official stated Sunday that the government will stop giving away Covid-19 at-home tests because Congress has not provided enough funding.
According to a source, officials are trying to replenish their stockpile, so they will have enough in case of a surge in the fall.
According to a source, the giveaway will end Friday.
The source stated that if Congress approves funding, we will resume free distribution through covidtests.gov. “Until then, we believe that reserving the remaining test for distribution later in the year is the best option.”
An administration official spoke to NBC News and criticized Congress.
Although fewer people are testing positive for coronavirus, many others are still being tested. Experts believe that many Americans may have been reinfected during the current pandemic.
Chief medical advisor to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said that he believes Covid-19 is a seasonal event, similar to the flu.
The distribution was halted on Friday. However, most Americans would still be able to get free testing or reimbursement through private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid.
Through its Covid-19 testing website, the federal government has distributed 600 million test kits. The free tests were first offered in January when the omicron variant was at its peak.
It wasn’t immediately clear how many were still in the stockpile.
The White House requested $22.5 billion more funding from Congress in March for Covid relief. It warned that without this money, it would not be able to maintain testing capacity.
The funding was not granted because of an impasse. This funding was also intended by the Biden administration to be used for research and treatment.
