How to Get a Second Batch of Home COVID Tests for Free
When the US government announced in January that each family would be able to request four free tests , we noted that four tests were not many. (My own family, for example, consists of five people.) While that’s still true, the offer has doubled: you can now request a second series of tests.
The website where you can place your (free) order is covidtests.gov . A notice on that website now says that “starting this week” every family can place a second order for free tests.
This means that if you have already received yours, you can order it again; but it also means that if you never ordered them in the first place, you can now request two orders at the same time, for a total of eight tests.
This means eight (or four) individual tests, not test suites . Many over-the-counter home tests come in double packs. This is because a positive result is pretty reliable, but a negative result could mean you just don’t have enough virus in your nose yet, or that you didn’t get enough snot per sample. If you have a negative result, you should repeat the test the next day to be sure.
I ordered four tests for my family when the website first went live and sure enough I received a box containing a total of four tests from Roche. The government has reportedly purchased tests from different manufacturers, so you might get a different brand this time than last time, or a different brand than your neighbor. But the promised tests appeared.
Other ways to order
If you are unable to access the website, or if you would like to share information with a loved one who is less tech-savvy, another way to request tests is to call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489) with 8 a.m. to midnight ET, any day of the week. Help is available in 150 languages, including English and Spanish.
There is also a special channel that prioritizes people with disabilities. You can call the Disability Information and Access Line at 888-677-1199 (Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 8:00 pm ET) or email [email protected]. For more information about requesting and using home tests, this CDC page has all the details.